


The Black Swordsman and Azure Knight

by Sarasheem



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:35:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 29
Words: 53,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29049273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarasheem/pseuds/Sarasheem
Summary: Getting into the beta to Sword Art Online was a dream come true. Making friends there, even better. Until release day when she finds out that the first VRMMORPG turned into a death game. Join Sarasheem and Kirito as they make their way through the floors trying to clear the game, without dying in the process.
Relationships: Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito & Original Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Posting this story that was started on ff.net. It is my first ever fanfic so please bear with me. As of right now it is on Hiatus until i can get past my writers block. enjoy! critiques always welcome.

“Wow! I can’t believe how much harder that floor boss was!” I said as I high-fived my companion dressed in all black. 

“Well the bosses aren’t supposed to get easier as you get higher up, Sarasheem.” Shaking his head he opened up his menu to see what the monster dropped for a reward.

“Oh! What did you get for the last hit, Kirito? Anything good?” I asked of the swordsman.

“Just a blue sword. My ‘Night Fury’ is better. Do you want it?”

“Heck yeah, I do! You know blue is my favorite color!” I exclaimed as I gestured to my blue armor and ‘Cerulean Sword.’ Some of the other players thought we looked like a bruise, the way we ran around when fighting monsters. 

We were lucky enough to get into the beta test for the first VRMMORPG called Sword Art Online. Kirito and I just happened to meet up on floor two when I got stuck at a dead end trying to find the floor boss. Ever since we fought our way out of that predicament, we have paired up whenever we played. Which was often. Neither of us really had any friends outside of SAO, nor were we any good at making them.

“So are you excited for the rest of the game to release tomorrow?” I asked Kirito. He seemed to have a far off look. He was probably thinking about what the eighth floor was going to be like.

“Actually, I was just thinking about that. It’s going to get very crowded with 10,000 players. It sucks that we have to start all over on floor one. But I guess us beta testers will have a huge advantage over the new players. We will already know about the initial motion skill and the layouts of the first floors. That’s if they don’t change everything on us,” he said as he chuckled.

“Well even if everything changes, at least we will have a friend to start all over with. That’s if you want to…” I said as I blushed and looked at the floor.

“Well I won’t want to continue being friends if we don’t keep moving! I'm hoping to find the floor eight boss before they kick us out for release day.” Kirito said as he took off running for the door out of the dungeon.

“Hey! Don’t leave me behind! Who's going to watch your back if I’m not there, ‘Black Swordsman!’” I yelled as I chased after him.

“Hurry up, then ‘Azure Knight!’” He yelled back.


	2. Chapter 2

Today is the day! The official release day of SAO. I couldn’t wait to meet up with Kirito. I had such a fun time fighting monsters with him in the beta test. We worked so well together after clearing almost six floors together. Some people even called us “Bruiser” because I dressed in all blue armor and he dressed in all black, including our blades.

At 12:56 pm, I started getting ready to put the NerveGear on to log into SAO. I called down to my family to let them know that I was logging in. It became a rule in our house after I stayed logged in for almost a full day in the first week of the beta. My parents were very angry that I didn’t log off to get food or even to use the restroom. So they started forcing me to log off for a while after eight hours.

It’s finally 12:59 pm! I put the NerveGear on my head and laid down on my bed. At exactly 1:00 pm I said “Link start,” to get SAO started. 

I used the same character as the beta: brownish-red hair, slightly pointed ears, blue eyes, and a scar through my left eye. I always liked making my characters look as much as my real world self, with slight elfish features. The scar was from a car accident that my family got in about two years ago, when I was about fourteen.

When I opened my eyes, I was in front of the central spire in the Town of Beginnings Plaza. I was ready to head out and grab some experience and items to get my blue armor back and get out of this silly skirt they put new female players in. Hopefully I would meet Kirito out there too. 

They cleared my friend list with the launch, so he wasn’t there anymore. With no other way to contact him, finding him in person is my best bet. Knowing him, he would be using the same character.

Off I went to the Southern Plains. It was my favorite spot on Floor One. It looked like the moon was sitting in the sky right above you and there was a castle-like structure nearby. It also had slightly stronger monsters, but still easy enough for a level one player. It was a better spot to level up faster.

After grinding for about four and a half hours, I was already at level three. I sat down to take a break while the wolves and boars respawned. 

Suddenly I heard a gong sound and was teleported back to the Central Plaza. I was confused as I didn’t even have a teleport crystal yet, so I couldn’t have teleported myself even if I wanted to.

The sky turned red and “Warning” was written all over it. It then looked like the sky started bleeding and the blood collected into the GameMaster. Then he started speaking, and everything took a turn for the worse.


	3. Chapter 3

When the GameMaster was done with the “tutorial” and informing the remaining 9,800 or so players about what happens if you die in game, I took off to the northern plains to head to the next town. I was grateful that I always made my character to look like me. Thanks to the mirror, it seems that everyone looks like their real world selves now. Hopefully Kirito will still recognize me.

When I finally reached the next town it was late in the evening. The clock on my interface said it was 9:25 pm. This small town had no more than fifty buildings in it. The streets were packed dirt, rather than the cobblestone like the Town of Beginnings had. There were simple metal lamp posts with candles inside so that anyone out and about after dark could still see where they were going. Each side of the street had wooden fences to mark off each house’s property lines. 

Under the closest lamp post was a bench. I gladly sat down to take a break after all that running and fighting to get here. After I had caught my breath, I started to think about everything that happened today.

If I die in game, will I really die in the real world? I hope Dad was watching the news, like always, so they don’t take the NerveGear off my head. I don’t want to die… I thought as tears started falling down my cheeks. I hung my head so that my hair would hide my face, and thus my tears.

“Are you alright? I’m shocked to see another player at this town already. You must have been a beta tester to have made it here so quickly from the Plaza.” I heard a familiar voice ask.

I looked up to find a boy about sixteen, the same age as me. He had chin length black hair and dark eyes. I couldn’t quite see the exact color in the darkness, maybe brown or black? He wore a dark blue, almost black, shirt. I could see the hilt of a sword peeking up above his shoulder. His face went from concerned to surprised as he spoke. “You wouldn’t happen to be Sarasheem, would you? I used to play with someone who looked just like you in the beta…” 

“Who are you? Your voice sounds familiar, but I don't recognize you. Did we meet at some point?” I asked of the stranger as I tried to dry the tears from my eyes with my sleeve.

“Wow! It’s me, Kirito! I didn’t think you were the type to make your character look like your IRL self. And I definitely didn’t think the scar was real,” he said as he laughed.

“Kirito? I can’t believe it’s you! I should have known since your character is in dark clothes!” I exclaimed as I jumped to my feet to hug him. “Same old Kirito, always wearing the blackest clothes he can find.”

“Woah there! No need to be all touchy feely!” He said as he tensed and awkwardly pat my back. “What’s with the skirt? Haven’t found a pair of pants yet? I’m surprised! I figured that would be the first thing you did when you logged in. Well now that we’ve reunited, we should update our friends list. That way we don’t have to search all over for each other, again.”

“Good idea. Do you know how hard it is to find pants for a female character? In the beta I had to fight in a skirt for two whole floors! By the way, I think you’re cuter like this. Makes you look more real,” I said with a wink and pulled up my menu and added him to my friend’s list. 

I sat back down on the bench with an exhausted sigh. I leaned back, with my head resting against the bench and closed my eyes. Kirito sat next to me, also with a sigh. “Can you believe what the GameMaster said? About dying in the game means you die IRL?” He asked with a wavering voice.

“Are you going to cry on me now? I thought it was my job to be all emotional,” I said as I opened my eyes and gave his arm a half-hearted punch, “but I can’t believe it either. This game is gonna go to hell in a handbasket.” 

“‘Hell in a handbasket?’ That’s an odd thing to say. You’re not actually from Japan, are you? You sometimes say weird phrases. I never thought to ask since we were both so focused on getting as high as we could in the beta. And how old are you, anyways? You look younger than your beta avatar. And how did you get that scar?” Kirito asked.

I chuckled. “So full of questions now, aren’t we? I was born in the United States. My family moved to Japan when I was ten. That was about six years ago. Hence why I speak differently. I got the scar in a car accident two years ago. A piece of glass flew at my face and cut me down my eye. Luckily I can still see clearly, but now I have this lovely scar to remind me of it.” I frowned. “How about your age? What have you been up to since you logged in? I couldn’t find you at our favorites spot in the Southern Plains. Where do you want to go next? Should we spend tomorrow here then move to Newnoi town the next day? That way we can keep ahead of everyone by about a day or so?”

“Now who's the one with all the questions?” Kirito chuckled. “I guess we are the same age, sixteen. I helped a new player get the hang of the game until we were teleported to Central Plaza for the ‘tutorial.’ Then I headed straight here for the same reason as you. I guess great minds think alike.

“I figured we would try to get to level ten before going into the tower to find the boss room. We should be able to get enough experience for a few more levels in the tower itself. That should be more than enough experience to clear it easily, without dying. So your plan sounds good. But first, we should get some sleep. We will have to rent a room at the inn here. This is Tretora Town right?” Kirito asked as he looked around for a town marker.

“Yeah, we’re in Tretora. Did you get a chance level up at all while you were helping that other player? Or earn any Col?” 

“No, I was too busy teaching Klein to really get any experience. So no Col either. Just what they give you in the beginning. So 500 Col? What about your level?”

“Ha! I’m finally a higher level than you! I am level three! You should save your Col for when you need to stock up on health potions and such. I only have enough for a room and some food, hopefully we can get one with two beds. Unless you would rather sleep outside,” I laughed as I stood up and started walking down the street.


	4. Chapter 4

“Switch!” I yelled as I blocked a Kobold Soldier’s strike with my shield. I pushed with my shield to knock the Kobold off balance. 

The Kobold was a blue furred creature with a tail and long half-drooped ears. It reminded me of a jackal with its pointed dog-like snout. This Kobold only had a helmet and armor on its shoulders and stood about shoulder height on its hind legs. The Kobold’s weapon looked like a large spiky rock on the end of a long, wooden shaft. On the opposite end of the rock-like weapon, the shaft was sharpened to a point. 

While I was blocking the Kobold’s weapon, Kirito came running up and slashed the Kobold across the chest. The Kobold swung at him in retaliation. As he blocked the next hit with his sword, I ran to behind the Kobold and slashed down its back from its shoulders to its tail. 

“One more hit should do it Kirito! Ack!” I growled as the Kobalt turned and stabbed me in the leg with the point of its hammer-like weapon. 

As it turned to stab my leg, Kirito had run forward into the weapon’s path; hitting him in the head and knocking him to the ground. With the point still in my leg, I swung my sword and sliced across its head. A second after my last hit, the Kobold froze then burst into rainbow shards.

“Whew!” I said as I sat down on the ground. Kirito was just standing up, rubbing his head where the Kobold’s weapon hit him. 

We were in the tower trying to find the boss room. We had been running into mostly Kobold Soldiers, with a few Kobold Sentinels and Wolves thrown in the mix. It had been a month since the GameMaster told us about the deadly rules of this game. Because of this news; Aincrad, the hundred floor world that we were trapped in, just hadn’t felt the same since release day. 

“Catch,” Kirito said before he threw a silver-trimmed bottle, with green liquid inside, at me. I missed catching the health potion and it bounced off of my head, falling into my lap. “Too slow. With those reflexes it’s a wonder you even beat the Kobold,” he smiled as he sat down next to me with his own potion.

I gulped the potion down and looked at my leg to watch the red hole, from where the Kobold stabbed me, disappear. I looked over at Kirito and saw that the scratch on his head had also disappeared.

“Thanks. I could say the same to you, mister-I-just-walk-into-enemy’s-weapons. What was that when the Kobold went to stab me and almost knocked you out cold?” I asked sarcastically. We stared at each other for about a minute, then burst out laughing.

Even though we faced the possibility of death everyday, Kirito and I still tried to find something to laugh at. It kept us sane and prevented depression. We didn’t want to just sit around and wither away, waiting for someone to clear the game. We decided this together the first night we reunited in Tretora Town.

“Yeah, that was kind of lame. Wasn’t it?” Kirito said. When we finished laughing and caught our breath, our system menu opened up with a notification. Kirito and I looked at each other before opening the message.

It was from someone named, Diavel. It read: Good day players of Aincrad! There will be a meeting in the Tolbana Amphitheatre at 1500 to discuss game tactics. We wish for any and all who can make it to attend. Happy hunting! ~Diavel

“Do you want to go? I wonder why they waited so long to have a meeting…” I trailed off as I looked over at Kirito. 

“Maybe they want more people to battle the tower. We can’t be the only ones who made it this far. We should go, there might be more info about the tower or where the boss room might be,” he replied. He stood up and dusted off his pants. “Well if we want to make it in time we should leave now. It’s going to take a few hours, and it’s already noon. We can eat lunch on the way. Besides, the group of Kobolds we just beat are going to respawn any minute.”

As Kirito stated, it took us about two and a half hours to get to Tolbana.The extra half hour was due to us running into more wolves and boars. We even ran into a giant, rodent-like creature that had a huge horn coming out of its head. It was an unusual monster to find on this floor. Maybe this wasn’t exactly the same as the beta; but it could have just been a hint to the second floor, where Rabid Mice are more commonly found. 

By the time we got there, I wanted nothing more than to curl up and take a nap. Unfortunately we didn’t have the time for that, so we headed to the shopping plaza just outside the Amphitheatre to restock on supplies before the meeting. We bought health potions to replace the ones we used in the tower. I also finally got my hands on a blue, one handed sword. This was just one step to get my avatar back into the Azure Knight. Kirito already had his signature black blade, he got it as a reward when we beat the Rabid Mice monster.

After we were done at the plaza, we still had about ten minutes until the meeting started. We followed the crowd that was walking into the amphitheatre. There was about twenty to thirty other players already there waiting for the meeting. They were spread around, some sitting in clusters with a few loners here and there.

There was one man standing on the main level. He had blue short hair with shoulder length bangs, bronze armor over blue clothes, a small shield, and a sword at his hip. Judging by the fact that he was the only one standing there, I assumed he was the person who called everyone here for the meeting.

At exactly 3 pm; the blue haired man started to speak, “Okay, people! Now that everyone's here, let’s get started. I want to thank everyone for coming, it’s good to see ya. My name is Diavel! And in this game, the job I rolled is Knight!”


	5. Chapter 5

“My name is Diavel! And in this game, the job I rolled is Knight!”

The crowd laughed and one person yelled, “dude, there’s no job system in this game!”

Diavel ignored him and continued, “do you guys want to hear this or not? Right, anyway here’s the deal. Our party found the boss room at the top of the tower today,” the crowd gasped, “First, we need to defeat the boss and make it to floor two. The next step is, we have to tell everyone waiting in the Town of Beginnings that it is possible to beat this game!

“Fact is, it’s our duty as the most capable players here. Do you agree, or not?” With that everyone started clapping and whistling in cheer. “Okay, glad you’re all with me on this. Let’s figure out how we are going to beat the boss. First off, we will team up into parties of six. A typical party doesn’t stand a chance against the floor boss. We need a raid group made up of multiple parties.” 

Kirito and I looked at each other, then looked around. It seemed that everyone had already formed their own parties, other than one person in a cloak. They were sitting by themselves about twenty feet away from us, on the same level. “Kirito, let’s go ask them if they want to party with us. Three is better than two, right?” I whispered to him.

We both shuffled over to the hooded figure and Kirito asked, “you got left out too, huh?”

“Not even. I wasn’t left out. It’s just... everyone seems like they’re already friends,” a feminine voice replied.

“So you’re a solo player. You wanna form a party with us?” The cloaked girl looked towards us with a cocked head. “You heard what the guy said. We can’t beat the boss on our own. And it would only be for this fight,” Kirito finished and I nodded.

The hooded figure nodded back. So, I opened up my menu and sent her an invite to join our party. She opened up her own menu, hesitating before accepting the party invite.

“Alright! Looks like everyone’s teamed up, now then-”

“Hold on a sec,” A guy with orange spikey hair interrupted. I noticed that he carried his one-handed sword the same way as Kirito, on his back. He started jumping down the wide steps to get to the front of the theatre. I chuckled as he reminded me of an angry mace, with his hair and pissed off look.  
“My name’s Kibou, got that? Before we take on the boss, I wanna get something off my chest. We all know about the 2,000 people who died so far, yeah? Well some of you need to apologize to ‘em, right now,” he pointed to the crowd. Some of the players started whispering.

“Kibou,” Diavel started, “I think I know who you’re referring to. You mean the ones who are ex-beta testers, right?” Kirito and I looked at eachother with shocked expressions.

“Of course I mean them! The day this stupid ass game started, the beta guys just up and vanished, right? They ditched all us beginners! They snagged all the good hunting spots, and they grabbed all the easy quests too! They were the only ones getting stronger in here. 

“This whole time they ignored us, like we’re nothin’. Hell, I bet there are some of them here!” Kibou pointed to the crowd again and growled out, “come on out ya beta testers! We should make them apologize to us. And we should make them give up their money, and the items they got. They can’t expect the party to trust them, when they don’t trust us! Why should we?” He angrily crossed his arms. 

Kirito’s hands clenched up and he narrowed his eyes at Kibou. He cringed and started shaking. He was getting ready to stand up when I put my hand on his to stop him. He looked over at me and I shook my head. We didn’t need the whole group to know we were beta testers, it would just make things worse. Luckily, Kirito and I thought very much alike, so he understood what I was saying.

I was just as angry as Kirito. How dare Kibou blame the beta testers for the newbie players’ deaths. How can 2,000 beta testers be responsible for 10,000 players and not die themselves? While I wanted nothing more than to stand up and yell at everyone about how unfair they were being, I didn’t want to risk getting the crowd mad at eachother and have this meeting end in disaster.

“Can I say somethin’?” A giant of a man stood up. He was a bald, dark skinned man with a massive axe across his back. He walked to stand in front of Kibou before speaking. “Hey, my name’s Agil. Kibou, right? I wanna make sure I’m on the same page. You say the ex-beta testers should be blamed for the rookies’ deaths because they didn’t help them? And you want them to apologize and give up their winnings. I leave anything out?”

“No, you didn’t,” Kibou responded with a pouty face, arms still crossed. He looked up at the new man, Agil, like he was regretting speaking up about the beta testers.

“The item store hands these out for free,” Agil pulled out a book from his pocket and turned towards the crowd before continuing, “it’s a guide book. You got one right?”

“Sure I got one! So what about it?” Asked Kibou.

“You know who was handing these out? The ex-beta testers,” with that the crowd gasped again. “Listen up! Everyone had equal access to this information. Even so, lot’s of players still died. Now, I didn’t come here to point fingers at anyone. I’m here cuz’ I wanna learn from those players’ deaths. I’m here cuz’ I wanna figure out how we’re gonna beat the boss,” Agil scanned the crowd before turning back to Kibou. 

Kibou, with an angry look still on his face, huffed and walked over to the first row of seats. He heavily dropped down and crossed his arms once more with a grumble. Agil joined him after a minute of looking at the crowd.

“Okay. Can we get back to the meeting now?” Diavel also pulled a guidebook out of his pocket before continuing. “For info on the boss, it’s all right here! The latest issue of the guidebook you just heard about. According to the book, the boss’ name is Illfang the Kobold Lord. Also he will be surrounded by his minions, the Ruined Kobold Sentinels. 

“Illfang carries an axe and a buckler. He has four health bars, and when the last one turns red; he switches to a curved sword-type weapon called a talward. He can change his patterns of attack too.” There were murmurs in the crowd as Diavel continued. “That’s it for the briefing! As for the distribution of loot, money will be divided equally among everyone. The party that defeats the boss, gets the XP. And whoever gets an item, gets to keep it. Any objections?” After no one spoke up Diavel continued. “Good! We leave tomorrow at ten in the morning. Meeting adjourned people!” Diavel swiped his hand through the air.


	6. Chapter 6

After the meeting, Kirito and I turned to say goodbye to our new party member, Asuna, but she had vanished. She didn’t introduce herself, but we knew her name because she popped up under our own names on our interface. We weren’t worried about it because we could always find her on the map, due to her being in our party.

“Hey Kirito, I’ll meet up with you later, for dinner. I gotta go meet up with Argo,” I said to him. I ran off without waiting for a response, as was usual of me when I met with Argo. 

I had met Argo a few days after the game started. While Kirito had been getting supplies, I was off killing time. During my wanderings on the outskirts of the shopping plaza in the Town of Beginnings, I happened upon her. She was asking for help for the new players. I stopped and we made a deal that I would give her as much information as I could about the beta. Over time, this lead to her idea about the guidebook, and starting a training camp for the new players.

At this meeting, today, she had a brown hooded cloak to cover her blonde hair and lines on her cheeks that looked like whiskers, not unlike a certain anime character. The cloak was to keep her identity a secret so that the beta testers could also stay anonymous. This secrecy started being necessary when the stronger, non-beta testing players became aggressive towards known beta testers. So Argo tried to keep everyone’s identity a secret.

“Sarasheem! I haven’t seen you in a week! You and Kirito spend anymore nights cuddled up together at the inn? Huh?” She laughed and made kiss noises, then held up her fist for a fist bump. 

“You wish, just so you would have something to gossip about! I don’t really have any new information. I just got out of the meeting about the floor boss. How are the newbies coming along?” I asked her, bumping her fist with my own.

“They are coming along great! All the weapons and armor you give them really do come in handy. And the info for the guidebook helps a ton too! We haven’t had a death in the training camp since I last saw you. Are you sure you don’t want to be a teacher? They want to thank all of the sponsors that are helping them. And we could really use a shield fighter to teach,” Argo said.

“I’m not really the teaching type. Don’t have the patience for it. And I don’t give them that stuff so they can thank me. I do it to help those that want to fight; to survive this cruel game. Here is what I can spare for Col today, and the items I don’t think I’ll be needing,” I said as I transferred about 1,800 Col, a pair of boots, and a helmet.

“Alright, if you say so. Thanks again, Sarasheem. And if you ever change your mind about teaching, you know where to find me!” Argo said as she snuck off, probably to distribute the loot and Col.

Kirito:  
Everytime we have a few hours to spare before dinner, Sarasheem ditches me for this Argo person. She never tells me why, either. I thought. I usually went out to find something for dinner, and find a place for the two of us to eat. Today, dinner consisted of rolls from an NPC baker. They are always rock hard, but didn’t taste too bad.

I was on my way to find a bench near the center plaza in Tolbana, to wait for Sarasheem. She’s usually done within an hour; so she still had about 15 minutes before I could expect her back. As I was walking down the street, deep in thought, I stumbled upon familiar hooded figure sitting on the stone edge of a flower garden. 

“Those are pretty good, aren’t they? Mind if I sit down?” I asked Asuna. She didn’t respond so I took that as a yes. She was also eating a roll from the NPC baker. After I sat down, she scooted a little further away.

I reached into my pack to grab a roll for myself, not caring about waiting for Sarasheem anymore. It seemed less rude to interrupt Asuna’s meal if I ate with her.

“You really think these taste good?” I heard from the girl sitting next to me. 

“Uhuh. Since we came to this town, Sarasheem and I end up each eating at least one a day. Of course, I’ve got a trick to make them taste better.” I reached into my pack again, but this time to pull out a jar.

“What trick?” Asuna asked me, curious.

“Try it with some of that,” I told her. She reached over to tap the top of the jar and her finger started to glow. She then took the glowing finger and slid it across the top of her roll, leaving behind a trail of cream; or what Sarasheem called butter. 

“Cream?” Asuna mumbled, surprised. I did the same as Asuna and put cream on my own roll, taking a bite. The jar disintegrated into rainbow shards. Uh oh, Sarasheem is gonna be mad that we finished off the cream, I thought to myself.

After watching me eat for a few minutes, Asuna finally took a bite of her own roll. After her first bite, it seemed like she couldn’t get her roll down fast enough. Finishing her roll, she sighed with contentment.  
“I got it from the Heffer Strikes Back. That’s the quest in the village right before you get to this one. You wanna know how I did it?” I asked her.

She shook her head and replied, “uh uh. I appreciate the offer but, I didn’t come to this town to eat good food.”

“Okay, why are you here?” I asked in response, curious

“So I don’t lose sight of who I am. I don’t want to lock myself in a room in the Town of Beginnings and slowly rot away. I’d rather stay the way I am ‘til the last moment,” she clasped her hands together in her lap, “even if a monster beats me and I die. I won’t lose, to this game or this world; no matter what.”

I threw my last bite of the roll in my mouth. “I wouldn’t want a party member dying on me. So try not to die tomorrow.”

With that, she got up and left. As I watched her walk away, I felt someone lean their elbow on my shoulder, “pretty heartfelt conversation you got going there. Are you gonna cheat on me with her?” 

I jumped up with surprise, my hands in the air, “Woah! Sarasheem! How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to see you used the last of the butter. But Asuna seemed like she needed a friend, so I’m not too mad. Just as long as friendship is as far as it goes,” she said with a wink. She walked around me to sit down where Asuna had sat.

“So how was your meeting with the mysterious Argo? Who is Argo, by the way? Every time I ask, you change the subject. Don’t you trust me?” I asked her with feigned sadness.

“Oh look at that puppy dog pout!” Sarasheem spoke in a cutesy voice, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell you now. Argo is an information broker. She is actually the one who wrote the guidebooks. The reason for being so sneaky is that she doesn’t want the world to know who the beta testers are; that way no one harasses us if they discover we are from the beta.

“It was also why I stopped you from standing up today at the meeting. It would have just made everyone hate us and force us to give them our gear and Col. We would have been kicked from the raid group. And I know you want to help beat the boss just as much as I do.

“Also, I give Argo my extra gear and items I’m not going to use. Along with as much Col as I think we can spare.”

“So that’s why you’re always low on cash! What are the Col and gear for? And why not tell me sooner instead of sneaking off? I would have helped, you know that,” I said to her; joining her on the stone bench. I once again reached into my pack to toss a roll to Sarasheem.

“Thanks, I know that you would help. But If I got caught, I wanted you to have plausible deniability. Now that the raid group knows about the beta testers helping Argo with the book, I figured it was time to let you in on my little secret. 

“The stuff I give to Argo are to help with the training camps set up for the newby players. It’s to help them get stronger so that they don’t have to be so fearful of venturing out of the Town of Beginnings.” She took a bite of her roll. “man, this doesn’t taste nearly as good without butter.”

“My bad. Finish your dinner and then we will head to the inn. We should get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be an early start, for you at least,” I said with a laugh as Sarasheem glared at me in return.


	7. Chapter 7

We met up with Asuna and the other raid parties at the Tolbana Amphitheatre. From there we headed to the Forest Floor, towards the tower to the next floor. There was quite a bit of chattering between the other parties, but the three of us mostly kept silent at the back of the crowd.

As we entered the tower, Kirito was the first to speak. “Lets go over it again, we’re the backup. So our target is gonna be the boss’ minions, the Ruined Kobold Sentinels.”

“We know Kirito. We went over this at the plaza before leaving when Diavel gave every party their assignments.” I replied back. I turned towards Asuna and rolled my eyes at him. “Whoever is in the front uses a sword skill to knock back the Sentinel’s weapon and then the other two switch in to attack.”

“What’s a ‘switch’?” Asuna asked quietly.

“Okay, level with me. Is this the first time you’ve ever been in a party?” He asked her.  
Asuna looked between the two of us and nodded. Kirito and I both stopped and looked at eachother with wide eyes. Asuna stopped a few steps ahead and turned back towards us. Kirito slumped his shoulders while I laughed.

I walked to Asuna and beckoned for her to follow me. “Well let me explain it as best I can. A ‘switch’ is just what it sounds like. It’s when two players literally switch spots in a battle. So say I block an attack, and knock the Kobold off balance. I would yell ‘switch’ and you two would rush in and attack the Kobold as much as you can. Then whoever draws the Kobold’s attention would do the same. Rinse and repeat. 

“It’s a pretty much a foolproof way for everyone to cover each other’s backs, while also taking down the monster. It works for practically any singular monster. As long as you’re not like Kirito here and run into the monsters weapon, knocking yourself out,” I winked at him as he caught up to us.

“Hey! That was one time!” He exclaimed as we caught up to the raid party in front of a giant set of stone doors.

The doors were about twenty feet tall and had a snake carved into the middle. Running down the center of each door was a diamond pattern. In each diamond was a smaller bronze diamond. Lighting up the door were two massive stone sconces with writing on the sides.

Diavel was standing in front of the door facing the crowd of restless players. “Listen up everyone! I’ve got one thing to say to you, let’s win! C’mon!” He put his hand on the door and pushed. Both doors swung with a slight creak and we all struggled to get a look inside the dark room. 

Diavel’s party crept into the boss’ lair first. When they made it about 50 feet in, with the rest of the raid group following, the room suddenly lit up in a rainbow of colors. Lining the room on each side, were stone columns. At the opposite end from the entrance, there was a stage with a purple throne with leaves carved over the arms and back. Sitting upon the throne was the first floor raid boss.

Illfang the Kobold Lord was about fifteen feet tall, and looked like a massive red jackal. As he jumped forward I noticed that he had armor on his wrists and legs, along with chainmail over his head and neck. He had a small blue diamond, with a larger blue diamond geometric pattern on his stomach. Around his waist, he had white trimmed, navy blue shorts, with a royal purple breechcloth over them. Just like the guidebook stated, he had an axe in one hand, and a buckler in his other hand. I could only see the handle of his other weapon, the talward. As he roared, his name and a red diamond appeared above his head and four green lines showed up to the right of his name. His health bars. 

Three lights shone at his feet, and out of the light came out three heavily armored Kobold Sentinels. They were carrying the same weapon as the Kobold Soldier that Kirito and I fought yesterday, except these shafts were metal instead of wood.

“Commence attack!” Diavel yelled as the Kobolds and the players ran towards each other. Diavel stayed in the back to command the players while the other parties split up to fulfil their roles.

Kirito, Asuna, and I ran towards one of the Sentinels and started our attack. As we surrounded the Sentinel, I sliced my sword across its side as I ran past. This caused to Sentinel to focus on me. 

“Shield Bash!” I yelled, hitting the Sentinel in the helmet with the front of my buckler. The Sentinel staggered and my other two party members stepped forward. “Switch!”

“Got it!” Kirito hollard as he swing his sword across the Sentinel’s shoulders. Asuna quickly stabbed it twice in the side with the tip of her weapon. “Almost there guys! A few more hits should do it!” Kirito said as he knocked the Sentinel back with his sword’s next hit. “Switch!”

“I’m on it!” Asuna said as she ran forward. This time she got four hits into the Kobold, destroying it. 

“Nice work! Dang, you’re fast girl! With moves like those you could never tell you were a beginner!” I yelled as I held up my hand for a quick high-five. She just turned away. To look for her next victim, I assume.

Suddenly, we heard a loud growl that shook the room. We all looked over to the main raid groups to watch Illfang throw his axe and buckler to the side. His health was finally in the red. This meant that he was ready to switch to his talward.

“Stay back! I got it!” Diavel yelled as he ran towards the beast.

“Wasn’t the plan for everyone to surround it and attack together?” I yelled to Kirito as I blocked another Sentinel’s swing with my shield.

“That’s not a talward… That’s an odachi! This isn’t like the beta,” Kirito mumbled, turning away from our enemy Sentinel. I slashed it with my sword, beating it and turning it into rainbow shards. “Wait, stop! It’s no good! Get out of there!” Kirito yelled to Diavel.

Diavel ignored him and readied his short sword for an attack, making it glow gold with a sword skill. Illfang sprang into the air, dodging Diavel’s sword and began to jump between the columns in the room. Pushing off from a column fast; Illfang slammed his blade down, cutting Diavel from his shoulder to his hip.

Diavel yelled. And while he was falling, Illfang jumped forward to slice Diavel a second time, sending him over our heads.

“Diavel, no!” Kibou called out. 

Since we were the closest party to where Diavel fell, Kirito ran after him. “Cover me!” I yelled to a random player, and took off after them.

Reaching them, I saw Kirito kneeling over Diavel and Diavel pushing a potion into Kirito’s hands. I heard him whisper to Kirito, “you know. You were a beta tester too, weren’t you?” 

With a gasp; Kirito whispered back, “you were after the last attack bonus. The rare item. You’re just like us, a beta tester.” Kirito glanced up at me. 

“Please, you have to defeat the boss. For everyone here,” Diavel said as a tear fell down his face. Before the tear could fall off his cheek, Diavel burst into tiny blue shards.


	8. Chapter 8

“Diavel, no… You can’t die…” I murmured to the empty space that used to be Diavel.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. We were all supposed to survive. We were supposed to beat the boss together. What possessed you to go after the last attack bonus by yourself…?” Kirito’s voice cracked. He closed his eyes and after a few moments he stood up with an unforgiving look on his face. “Let’s go kill a boss.” He opened his eyes and I saw an anger there that I had never seen before.

Suddenly Asuna was there, standing beside me. “I’ll go too,” she said. The three of us started running towards Illfang the Kobold Lord as if our lives depended on it. In a way, they did.

“We will hit Illfang just like we did with the minions,” Kirito said to us. I saw that the other players were more defending the attacks from Illfang than fighting him. They were too terrified to really fight back. Too scared to die like Diavel, I’d guess. I didn’t blame them. They just watched their leader die. Who wouldn’t be scared in their position? 

Asuna gave a grunt of agreement to Kirito’s statement. I called out to the other players as we reached the group around Illfang. “Coming through! Watch out! Move out of the way!” They all looked at us, shocked to see the three of us running towards danger rather than away from it before scurrying to the sides. I knew we looked crazy, but someone had to beat the boss. If no one did, we were all dead.

Kirito got to Illfang first, blocking his attack. This knocked them both staggering. Asuna and I rushed in to strike. We each got a hit in before Illfang regained his footing. 

Illfang turned towards me to attack. Using my shield, I forced Illfang’s next strike to go wide and stabbed him in the stomach. I saw a blur of black from the corner of my eye. It was Kirito coming back for another hit.

Before he could stop Illfang’s downward swing, Illfang suddenly changed his attack to slice from the side. He caught Kirito right across the stomach, sending him flying into me. The hit was so strong that we both flew about five feet back, sliding on the ground for another two. 

Before we could get up, a large shadow appeared over us. It was Illfang. He had his odachi over his head, glowing red, ready to finish us off. I raised my shield and sword to try and ward off the blow to protect Kirito and I, ready to sacrifice myself if it meant Kirito could live. 

I had closed my eyes and waited for the final blow, when I heard a war cry and the sound of metal clashing. I opened my eyes to see Agil had knocked Illfang’s sword away with his giant hammer. This sent Illfang back a ways, with Agil’s swing. Illfang landed on his feet, using one hand to balance himself as he slid.

“We can hold this bastard off until your health’s back up.” Agil said as Asuna and the others streamed past him with their own war cries. I looked at Agil with relief and thanks, then looked at Kirito to see he was still lying on his side.

“C’mon Kirito. We can take a long nap after we beat Illfang and make it to Floor Two.” I said to him as I shook his shoulder to rouse him. His only reply was a groan as he opened his eyes and smiled at me.

Kirito’s health was at half, so I reached into my bag to bring out a higher dose health potion. I grabbed a smaller dose for myself as I didn’t have as much damage done to me. I helped Kirito into a sitting position and handed him his potion. I stayed crouched with my shield at the ready as a precaution. I wasn’t sure if Illfang would go after players with the lowest health to finish them off. Kirito was correct in that this fight wasn’t like the beta. 

As I helped Kirito to his feet I looked over at the fight going on. I watched as Illfang did a sweep of his odachi. This knocked all the players to the ground leaving them exposed. Illfang jumped over Asuna and was going to kill her when Kirito and I took off running towards the fray again.

“Asuna! Watch out!” Kirito yelled. He held his blade behind his back, right over the scabbard, to make it glow blue with a sword skill. “You’re going down!” Kirito roared as he reached Illfang in the air before Illfang’s hit could land, and slashed him across the stomach. This sent Illfang across the hall, landing on the floor in a cloud of dust.

Kirito rolled when he landed and continued to run after Illfang. “Sarasheem, help me beat this sucker! One last attack!” Kirito yelled back to me with his sword out to the side.

“Oh hell yeah!” I shouted back as I caught up to him. 

We reached Illfang together. I used my shield technique, Shield Bash, and knocked Illfang off balance. Kirito slashed Ilfang down the left leg. I met Illfang’s next swing with my own sword  
. This gave Kirito the opportunity to finish Illfang off. 

Kirito this time sliced Illfang across the hips and then immediately with a backstroke and a war cry, he jumped up to slice Illfang from the navel to his shoulders.

With Kirito’s last hit, Illfang was thrown up. He froze in midair and shone brightly, like there was a star in the room. It was so bright I had to cover my eyes with my shield. There was a twinkling sound and when I looked over my shield I saw Illfang had burst into shards. Finally, Illfang the Kobold Lord was defeated!


	9. Chapter 9

In the light from Illfang’s defeat appeared the word, “Congratulations!” Then in front of the players, along with Kirito and I, popped up menus with data from the battle. My menu showed the experience and items I received from Illfang and the Minions. 

After a long moment of silence, everyone burst into cheers. They were hugging and high fiving each other in celebration of the victory. 

Kirito was kneeling on the ground with his sword still in hand, breathing heavily. I plopped myself next to him, also breathing hard. We looked at eachother with the biggest grins on our faces as we caught our breath. 

We did it. We finally defeated the Floor One boss. Maybe we won’t die here… Maybe we can clear the game and make it home. Maybe Kirito and I can meet in the real world after we clear the game, I thought to myself.

Kirito’s menu popped up with a notification. I saw that it said “Congratulations. You got the last attacking bonus.” A second window popped up over that one and stated that he got the attacking bonus item: Coat of Midnight.

My menu stated that I got the title: Defender, for the most hits blocked. As a reward, I got: Kobold Shield. It was a shield, rather than the buckler I had been using. I equipped it and found out that it was blue with white trim and what looked like a white silhouette of Illfang’s face in the center.

“Great work, Kirito! You got the attacking bonus! There’s the first piece to your Black Swordsman getup!” I whispered to him, lightly punching him in the arm.

“Thanks! And that’s a new reward. The beta never had anything other than the last attacking bonus. Congrats! You’re lucky it’s blue! There’s no need to dye it now, Azure Knight” He chuckled.

“Nice job.” Asuna said as she walked over with Agil beside her. She finally let her hood down so that we could see her face. 

Asuna had long reddish-brown hair, similar in color to mine except hers was a much lighter shade and was more red whereas mine was more brown. I couldn’t see the actual length due to the cloak that covered anything past her shoulders. I could see that she had two braids that wrapped from her temples to the back of her head and ended in a small ponytail. 

She had almond shaped eyes that were similar in color to her hair. She had high cheekbones; and a small straight nose. She was very pretty, pretty enough to make me feel jealous. I worried that Kirito might find her more attractive, and I would lose the boy that had become my best friend.

It was at this point that I realized, Kirito had become more than just my best friend. He had become my partner, the only person I trust completely to watch my back. I trusted him with my life. 

I was falling in love with Kirito.

“That was some fine swordsmanship. Congratulations. Today’s victory is all thanks to you two.” Agil said.

“No…” Kirito started.

“Yeah! You rock man!” The crowd cheered for him.

“Stop cheering!” Kibou yelled. Instantly, there was silence. “Why’d you do it, huh? Why’d you let Diavel die?” Kibou was sitting on the floor with the soles of his shoes touching and his hands holding his ankles. His spiked mace was lying on the ground next to his feet. He was surrounded by his remaining party members.

“Let him die…” Kirito muttered, confused. He looked at me with a questioning look as if to say, I tried giving him a potion, but he refused. How is that letting him die? I tried to save Diavel!

“That’s what I said! Admit it. You knew what technique the boss was gonna use. You could have told us! Then Diavel would have stood a chance. He wouldn’t have had to die!” Kibou screamed. I could see that he had tears in his eyes. 

The crowd murmured. Some in agreement with Kibou, some confused by his outburst. Not one defended Kirito.

One of Kibou’s party members pointed at Kirito. “I know why he knew! He used to be a beta tester! Think about it! He knew the boss’ attack patterns. He knew, but he kept it from us! And… I bet he’s not the only only beta tester here. Come on! Show yourselves!” 

Everyone was looking at each other skeptically. They no longer trusted the allies that they just fought beside. Afraid that one of them might be a beta tester, also.

I could see Kirito debating something hard in his head. He must have come to some decision because he looked at me and mouthed the word, “sorry,” before he gulped. Kirito then started to laugh maniacally. He stood up from his kneeling position and sheathed his sword on his back.

“What are you doing?” I asked him. Utterly confused as to what he was trying to pull. 

Was Kirito actually trying to save the trust between these jerks? They trusted each other enough to watch their backs, but couldn’t trust them if they were a beta tester? What is wrong with these people! Thinking about it just made me angrier, but before I could say anything Kirito spoke again.

“So you guys think I used to be a beta tester. It’s not cool to put me in the same class as those newbs.” Kirito said. He was facing away from the crowd, so no one could see his face. But I could. His voice may have sounded hard and arrogant, but his face showed his true emotion: He was scared. 

Before Kirito turned around to face the crowd, a mask slid over to hide how he really felt. I stood up to stand next to him. He needed to know that I supported him, and would stick by him. I didn’t care if everyone hated me. As long as we had each other, we would survive.

“Wha… What’d you say?” Kibou asked, aghast. The other players were also shocked by what Kirito said. They looked between Kirito and I, probably wondering if I was a beta tester too.

“You heard me. Most of the thousand people who scored a slot in SAO’s beta were rookies. They were so green, they didn’t even know how to level up. Hell even you guys are better than they were. But me, I’m nothing like those guys, man. During the beta, I made it on floors higher than any of the other testers, that’s a fact. I knew about the boss because I’ve fought tons of monsters with way more sword skills on higher floors. I know a bunch of other things too. More than you can ever imagine. More than any info broker.” Kirito was walking towards Kibou’s party while speaking. When he reached them, he stopped and put a hand on his hip. He had a smug look on his face at this point. 

“Info broker my ass. You didn’t even know who Argo was until yesterday.” I mumbled under my breath.

“Wha… What the hell? If that’s true, then your worse than a beta tester. You’re a goddamn cheater, that’s what you are!” Kibou responded angrily.

The players started yelling at us. One of them yelled above the others, “He’s a beta tester and a cheater. He’s a beater!” Everyone; besides Asuna, Agil, and I; nodded in agreement and kept saying the word “beater.”

“A beater… Yeah that’s good. I like it. Okay, you can call me a beater. Just make sure you don’t confuse me with those beta testers anymore.” Kirito opened his menu and donned his new cloak. He headed for the staircase that appeared after Illfang’s defeat. 

I was still at the edge of the crowd, closest to the door that lead out of the dungeon. As he reached me, Kirito nodded and reached for my hand. I took his, but didn’t move.  
Kirito looked at me quizzically until I said, “I’ll catch up with you on Floor Two. I’ve gotta tell these jerks where to stick it and how.” I winked at him.

Kirito smiled. “Give them hell.” He squeezed my hand before he continued towards the door. When he squeezed my hand, I felt butterflies and my heart beat faster than it ever did in the battle with Illfang. 

Asuna ran off to follow him. When she reached him, I heard murmuring, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. 

I turned towards the crowd, my new enemies. I looked angrily at every player. My menu popped up with a notification that the party was disbanded. After that, I heard Kirito’s footsteps disappear. Knowing he was out of the dungeon I started to speak..

“So beta testers are evil now, am I right? Were they evil after you found out about the guidebooks?” I put both hands on my hips and leaned forward menacingly. I saw the closest players flinch and take a step back. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Asuna re-join Agil.  
“Oh that’s right! How could I forget! They are only evil when they win something that you want! Well here is a newsflash for you cowards! These two- that’s right, two! I am a beta tester also, you jerks.

“These two beta testers just saved your asses today. Remember that when you go to snub your noses at us. You never know when your life depends on one of us ‘evil beta testers.’” I used my fingers to suggest quotes. 

“Oh! And just so you know; your precious leader, Diavel, was a beta tester too. So suck on that!” I waited for a response. Even Kibou knew to keep quiet. When I didn’t get one, I turned to Asuna and Agil.

Agil had a smug look on his face while Asuna was still looking at the door to floor two with awe. It seems like I had competition when it came to Kirito’s heart. 

“Agil, thanks for the save back there. And Asuna, we couldn’t have done it without you. You’re wicked fast! That rapier is gonna take you places, someday. But don’t worry about Kirito, I’ll keep an eye on him. I am his partner after all.” I said in a friendlier voice. Just because she may have feelings for Kirito, did not mean that I had any reason to hate her. 

“Yo, before you go… I just wanna say thanks for helping with the newbie players. I’m gonna open a shop to raise money to help them with equipment, eventually. Just wanted to let you know that you and Kirito are always welcome to stop by.” Agil said to me before I could turn towards the door.

“How did you know? Wait… It was Argo, wasn’t it?” I cocked my head.

“She brags about her sponsors all the time, I figured you were one of them. You just strike me as the type to help. She never mentioned names. But did mention a girl with a shield and boy who only uses one sword pair of beta testers. So by deductive reasoning…” Agil trailed off.

“Yeah. That’s us. Just wait until we get our gear. We were known as ‘bruiser’ in the beta.” I rolled my eyes before continuing. “Here’s my friend invite, let us know if you ever need anything. And I’ll pass the message on to Kirito. I should get going before he gets himself killed. It was nice to meet you both. Take care!” I turned away from them and ran up the stairs and out the door to join Kirito out on Floor Two.

Kirito: A few moments earlier

I was almost to the top of the stairs when I heard footsteps. They weren’t heavy and clunky like Sarasheem’s, so it couldn’t have been her. They were much softer as they made their way up the stairs.

“Wait! When we were fighting the boss, you called me by my name.” I heard Asuna say. I half-turned to face the girl. She seemed to be the same age as Sarasheem and I. Now that I think about it, most of the players in the raid group seemed to be between sixteen to thirty years old. There weren’t any young kids, nor older adults.

“I wasn’t trying to be rude. Did I mess up the pronunciation?” I asked her.

“How’d you even know it?” 

“If you look, right about here,” I pointed to where hers and Sarasheem’s names appeared on my interface, “you’ll see a couple HP gauges right below yours. You’ll see names written right next to them, yeah?”

Asuna squinted and said, “Ki-re-toe? Sa-ra-sh-em?”

“Sa-ra-sheem actually. But you got my name right.”

Asuna laughed. “I’m so dumb. It was there the whole time and I never knew.” She laughed again and shrugged.

I turned back towards the door. “You can become powerful, on your own. But if the day comes, and someone you trust invites you to join their guild, don’t turn it down. Cause there are limits to what a solo player can do.”

“But, you’re solo…” She trailed off.

“Nah, I’ve got Sarasheem. But even with her, there’s only so much the two of us can do.” I opened my menu and disbanded the party. The other names on my interface disappeared, leaving only mine behind. I’ll re-invite Sarasheem when she gets on the next floor.  
I put my hand on the door, and walked through the dark opening and entered Floor Two.


	10. Chapter 10

Floor Two  
Sarasheem:  
I arrived in the Grotto Plains on the second floor. The Grotto Plains was a field with many rock structures and formations, unlike the plains on floor one. During the day, the grass here was gold; rather than the green rolling hills on floor one. Right now, everything had a silver sheen to it due to the moonlight.

I had forgotten that the lower levels do not always put you in a town immediately after leaving the previous boss’ lair. For some reason, Akihiko Kaiba only did that on some floors. It’s not like he cared about the difficulty of the game. He did trap us in this death game after all...

Looking around, I didn’t see Kirito. It was too dark to see much, with only a crescent moon for light and part of the moonlight blocked by the rocks. With my weapons at the ready, I crept forward slowly, so as to not rouse any nearby monsters. Without Kirito, I was vulnerable. I had no one to watch my back if I got swarmed. 

The monsters that usually inhabited Floor Two were Wasps and two different breeds of Cow: the bigger Trembling Cow or the smaller Onrushing Cow. Defeating the cows was easy in the beta, it was the Wasps that gave me a run for my money as they tended to swarm a player-.

Thump I heard behind me. I let out a very girly squeak and dove to the side. I rolled into a kneeling position with my shield and sword out, ready for an attacking Cow. I didn’t expect what was actually there.

There was Kirito. Rolling on the ground laughing in his newly acquired, black coat. I sheathed my sword at my hip and walked over to him. Standing over him, I put my hands on my hips to glare at him. 

“You should have seen your face! And that squeak! Who knew you could be such a girl! I should scare you more often!” Kirito huffed out between laughs. Eventually, his laughter died down and he sat up chuckling, still trying to catch his breath.

“Dude, that was so not cool! I thought I was going to get crushed by a Cow! Here I am, trying to make sure you didn’t kill yourself fighting a monster on your own, and you go and scare the crap out of me! Not cool!” I half-heartedly yelled at him. I couldn’t help a chuckle escape my mouth.

“Sorry. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Oh and here.” Kirito opened his menu and sent me a party invite.

“Sweet. So what was up with you back at the boss’ room? What was your goal in acting like that with the other players?” I asked him. I, obviously, accepted the party request.

“Well you saw how they were acting towards each other. They no longer trusted their party members, or their friends. If we can’t trust each other to fight together, then there is no way we will beat this game and get to the real world. If that means me being the bad guy, then so be it.” He finished in a low voice and slumped his shoulders. 

How could he bear to carry the weight of this world on his shoulders at such a young age? I mean we were both in high school! Kids our age should be worrying more about bullies and getting good grades to get into university! Not worrying about dying!

I grabbed Kirito and hugged him close. “Don’t worry. You’ll never be a bad guy in my eyes.” I whispered to him. I couldn’t stop the tears from falling down my cheeks.

Kirito held me close for a few moments, but pulled back when he heard my sniffling. Our eyes locked, his black to my blue, and I felt those butterflies in my stomach again. I blushed and broke the eye contact. I took a step back and let my arms fall to my sides.

Kirito grabbed my hand before I could walk away, completely. I looked up, shocked. Kirito was also blushing, but didn’t let go of my hand. 

“Thanks for defending me after I left. I couldn’t ask for a better partner, or friend.” He squeezed my hand, just like he did back in the boss room.

“H-how’d you know that’s what I was doing? You weren’t there? I made sure I heard your footsteps leave the room.” I stuttered. I was having a hard time forming coherent thoughts. 

This wasn’t the first time Kirito had grabbed my hand. Nor the first time we hugged, well the first time I had hugged him. He wasn’t a big fan of physical contact. Usually when I hugged him, he would tense up, but he didn’t this time. Could it be possible… Kirito may have feelings for me, also?

I shook my head. Impossible. Why would he like a girl like me? I wasn’t girly, and most boys were put off by my scarred eye. Everyone in school avoided me as if ugly scars were contagious...

I felt a tap on my forehead. I didn’t realize I had gone off into my own world and wasn’t listening to what Kirito was saying. “Hello, anyone home? As I was saying… I know you well enough to know that’s what you were doing. You take the title ‘knight’ to heart. Defender of the innocent, protector of the weak, yadda yadda.”

I harrumphed in response. I turned, still holding Kirito’s hand, and started dragging him towards the first town on Floor Two.

Chop. Chop. Chop. My wood axe cut through another block of wood. Kirito and I were still on Floor Two, three weeks after beating the boss on Floor One. Today, we were right outside of Bankurr Village doing quests to level up while trying to find the stairs to the boss’ dungeon.

We had taken a quest from an NPC to chop a hundred bundles of wood to help them build a stable. Since this was a singles quest, we each had to chop a hundred bundles. No using the menu to do it either. We had to chop everything by hand. It was a great way to level up mine and Kirito’s Strength attribute.

Strength and Agility are the only two attributes you can level up in Sword Art Online by using attribute points. HP, also known as vitality, automatically leveled up with the character. Same with the speed of recovering health points. The Strength attribute is what your attack and defense are based on. The Agility attribute was your speed, both the speed of your attack and movement speed, along with your ability to dodge. 

Kirito always leveled up his Agility to a higher level than his Strength, whereas I was the opposite. I didn’t need speed as much because I used my shield to defend against attacks. Kirito needed the speed to dodge enemy attacks.

Due to not getting many attribute points while leveling, quests like the wood chopping one were sought after by all players. Currently, there were nine other players chopping wood with Kirito and I. For some reason, some players would talk to the NPC that gave the quest, look at Kirito and I, then walk away. Some of them I recognized from the fight with Illfang. 

As I watched another player walk away, I turned to Kirito to ask, “Do you have any idea why some of the players leave after seeing us? Some of them were at the boss fight with Illfang. Do they hate us so much that they won’t even do an important quest like this one, because we are here?” I swung my axe into the stump I was using to chop wood on. I had finally finished the quest, after four hours. 

“Yeah, I noticed that too. I was thinking the same thing…” Kirito trailed off. He had finished about an hour earlier and was waiting on me. It took him more swings to get through a block of wood, but since he was much faster than I, he had finished first. While he waited for me to finish, he laid down under the tree that was next to the stump I had chosen to chop wood. 

“You guys really don’t know what people say about the beater and his sidekick, do you?” The boy who was chopping wood next to us said. He stood up straight and rested his axe across his shoulders, behind his head. He hung his hands over each end of the axe and as he waited for a response.

He was tall. So very tall. This boy must have been over six feet tall. I couldn’t guess how old he was, just that I knew he was older than Kirito and I. He had short, black hair. At the front of his hair, it was colored to look like a single flame. He had a strong jawline, but no facial hair.   
He had broad, muscular shoulders; and a lean waste. His weapon of choice was a two-handed sword, which was sheathed on his back. 

Flying over his right shoulder was a small red dragon. It had two horns on its head, with a trail of spikes going down it’s back. It’s tail ended with a spear-like triangle.

“No idea. Other than calling us beaters. We keep to ourselves, so we don’t hear much gossip.” Kirito said to the boy, giving him a skeptical look.

“The Black Beater and his partner, the Girl Beater. You managed to make names for yourselves at the boss room. Other players aren’t happy. They feel like you stole the last hit bonus from the main party. Oh, and that you were the reason that guy died.” He said as he strolled over, his dragon following. 

“We didn’t kill Diavel. He went after the last attack bonus, but the boss’ attack patterns weren’t like the beta. He went anyways, and that’s what did him in. Kirito tried giving him a potion, but he refused it. Whether you believe us or not is your problem.” I told the boy, raising my head to look up at him. 

It was at this point that I noticed his red eyes. The odd color caught me off guard. Kirito’s black eyes were rare enough, but red eyes? I had never heard of someone having red eyes. Like me, he had a scar through his left eye. 

“I like to save my judgement for after I meet the people. Gossip is just that, gossip. Figured you’d wanna know what people were saying. Those other players who keep leaving instead of doing this quest are probably just scared you’ll attack them. By the way, I’m Charr. This is my dragon, Isao.”

“How did you get a dragon?! I want one! It’s so cool! Wait… Isao the dragon? Is that from that anime ‘How to Keep a Mummy’? I loved that one!” I squealed! 

“It’s a cute anime. It was the first dragon I thought of when I got him. I’m a beast tamer. It was a skill line you could get.” He replied, taking a step back as if I was going to reach for his dragon.

“That’s a cool skill. I never gave it much thought when I saw it. Might have come in handy, having a pet.” Kirito said as he reached up to grab his chin in thought.

“Oh, how rude of us! I am Sarasheem. This is my partner, Kirito.”


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Ten:  
After meeting Charr, we decided to add each other to our friends list. The only other players that Kirito and I had on that list were Klein, Agil, Asuna, and Argo. Unfortunately, not many players wanted to be friends with the “beaters,” so they stayed away from us. 

About a week after parting with Charr, he sent us a message. It read:  
Second Floor Boss room found. Meeting today at Hastia Town Central Plaza. Will keep you posted. Party?  
Charr

“Can you believe that they found the boss room already, Kirito? You and I haven’t even made it halfway through the boss caves!” I looked over at him.

We were in Kirito’s room at the inn. It was sparsely decorated, only containing a table with two chairs and a bed. Kirito was sitting in one of the chairs, with his head resting in the palm of his hand, staring out the window. This was how I usually found him when I came over from my room next door.

Kirito barely said anything these days. He had shut himself in his room at the inn we were staying in. I was lucky if I got more than one word answers from him. This quiet Kirito started right after meeting Charr. Did he really take to heart what Charr said about players being scared of the beaters? If so, why did he start caring all of a sudden?

I had no idea how to get Kirito back out of his shell. I hoped the news about the boss room would awaken him, but it didn’t seem to even phase him. He didn’t even read the message Charr sent him, he just ignored it and closed his window. I guess it was time to pull out the big guns… It was time for some tough love.

I stood up and put my fists on my hips. “Alright you bag of bones! Are you going to wallow in your self-pity stupor forever? Cuz if that’s the case, I might as well go find Charr and form a party with him until we beat this death game! And he has that adorable dragon, too! Hello! Anyone home?” I yelled at him. 

Kirito jerked. He looked over at me with shocked eyes from his chair by the window. Finally, I got a reaction out of him. After a few moments, I saw a small spark of light return to his eyes. 

“Wha…” He blinked a few times before clearing his throat. “What’s going on? You’re leaving?”

“I will if you don’t stop being a lump in that chair. Remember the promise we made? We were going to clear this game, or die trying. From what I see, you’re dying. But ya ain’t trying!

“What happened to you, Kirito? What did Charr say that got you so down, you won’t even leave your room? We used to talk all the time. You’ve shut yourself away, and won’t let me in anymore. I can’t help if you don’t talk to me…” I trailed off. I had to blink the tears away so he wouldn’t see me cry. I hated crying because it always left my face red and blotchy. 

“Oh crap…” Kirito mumbled before getting up to wrap me in a hug. “I didn’t mean to shut you out. It didn’t hit me how bad it was with the other players, until we talked to that guy. I thought I could handle being the bad guy. I didn’t mean to hurt you by not talking about it.”

I couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. Kirito’s hug released the flood gates and I buried my head in his shoulder. “We are supposed to be in this together. To lean on each other when we fall. We are partners for crying out loud!” I hiccuped out between sobs, hugging him back.

“Was that… was that a pun? How can you toss out a pun like that while crying?” Kirito asked incredulously before laughing.

“It wasn’t on purpose you jerk!” I smiled, still in his arms. When the hiccups stopped, I pulled away slightly. I forgot how warm I felt when hugging Kirito. I knew it was all in my head because we can’t feel pain, therefore we couldn’t feel warmth from hugging either.

When I opened my eyes, I realized our faces were only inches apart. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. My face and neck were really hot, due to my blushing. I could see Kirito was also as red as a tomato.

“Not yet…” he whispered under his breath. He pulled away and turned towards the window. Still red in the face. 

It was at this moment that another message from Charr popped up in my notification window. 

Boss raid parties to meet back up at 10 am in Hastia Central Plaza. Same plan as Illfang. Met someone who wants to join party. Ok with you guys?  
Charr

“So are you ready to venture out of this room tomorrow for the boss raid? We are going to have to grind our hearts out today, due to someone not wanting to leave their room for a week. Now we are behind where we wanted to be in levels. Plus, we are going to have to either leave at seven in the morning to be there in time, or leave really late tonight and spend the night in Hastia. My vote is leave tonight. I hate waking up early!” I glared at Kirito.

“You and your want to sleep in as late as possible. Oh, look. I just got a message from Asuna. She said the same thing as Charr. She said she found someone to join in our party, too. That would leave us with a group of six then. Wouldn’t it be funny if they were talking about each other?” Kirito chuckled. He was starting to return to his old self. 

I smiled and replied to Charr: Hi Charr! Sounds good! Our member from Illfang boss raid also has a friend to join us. That okay with you and your friend? We will meet you fifteen minutes before raid party meets up to talk battle strategy. See you tomorrow, bright and early!  
S

While I replied to Charr, Kirito sent his reply to Asuna. With that done, I stood up from the bed. “Alright, let’s go grind some levels in preparation for tomorrow!” I yelled and pumped my fist in the air. Kirito groaned. 

“Do you always have to be so peppy?” He asked with a shake of his head and a smile.

“Well it’s better than your doom and gloom attitude! Now let’s go! Time’s a wastin’!” I walked out the door to head to the nearby forest.

We only managed to level up once. This put us at level twenty. It was a good thing that we had a larger party tomorrow, because we were short about two levels from the boss. If it were going to be just the two of us tomorrow, we would be dead in the water.


	12. Chapter 12

The weather was hot and dry. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Every now and then, a slight breeze wafted over the plains. It was a perfect day for fighting a floor boss. 

We found Charr laying on a tiny hill near the Hastia Central Plaza. He had his hands under his head, with his eyes closed. He reminded me of a cat the way he was soaking in the sunlight.

“Here, kitty kitty kitty.” I heard Kirito whisper under his breath. I tried to hold my laughter back, and failed. My outburst caused Charr to open an eye to see who was bothering his sunbathing.

“Look who it is. If it isn’t the Black Swordsman and his girlfriend, the Azure Knight.” Charr said with a sarcastic smirk.

“W-what? Who said we were together?” I stuttered out, shocked. My face immediately turned red with embarrassment. I looked over at Kirito and his mouth was hanging open. I noticed a slight pink hue to his cheeks, but also the back of his ears were a bright red. Looks like I wasn’t the only one who was surprised at Charr’s comment.

“Just an assumption. You guys are never apart. Made sense that you would be dating.” He responded. I watched his eyes dart between us before he shrugged. He mumbled something under his breath before closing his eyes again. “So where is your friend and her partner? We need to figure out a plan for our party. We can’t just go in blind. What do you guys remember from the beta? Any info is going to help us in the fight.” 

“Why don’t we wait until Asuna gets here, with her party member. Speaking of… It looks like she’s here.” Kirito said, looking over my shoulder. I half-turned to see who Asuna had brought with her.

“Agil! Long time no see buddy! How have you been?” I exclaimed as I ran over to give him a hug. “Glad to have you party with us this time!” I pulled back with a smile. 

“Hey girl! You know I wouldn’t miss this fight for nothin’. I’m just glad Asuna invited me to party with you all.” The giant of a man said as he walked over to Kirito and bumped hands with him. “Who’s your friend here?”

“This is Charr. We met him a while back, doing the wood chopping quest.” I said to Agil. Charr held his first two fingers to his head in a salute, still lying on the grassy knoll. “He’s also joining us for the boss battle.” 

“Nice to meet you, Charr. Asuna said you guys had another person joining the group?” Agil raised an eyebrow with a questioning look.

“Yeah. Charr said he had a friend who wanted to join in on the boss fight. Hey Charr, where’s your friend?” I called over to him. Kirito was giving him a hard look, as if he didn’t trust him for some reason.

“He’s right on time.” A new voice called from behind me. 

“Eeek!” I squeaked and jumped. I spun around to find a man standing behind me.

“Ey, Stark! You made it.” Charr stood up and dusted himself off. He walked past me to grab the newcomers shoulder. 

Stark had bright, leaf-green eyes. His face was framed by straight, dirty-blonde hair that barely brushed his shoulders. Stark’s features were soft whereas Charr’s were full of hardness. Even though it looked like Stark was the same age as Charr, it seemed that Stark didn’t lose all of his baby fat. 

I couldn’t see any kind of weapon on Stark. He did have some armor equipped though. He had green metal epaulets on his shoulders, gray chainmail pants, and green boots. I wondered what kind of weapon user he was. His armor wasn’t built for speed, so he couldn’t be a rapier user like Asuna or a single sword like Kirito.

“He’s kinda cute, don’t you think?” Asuna whispered to me. 

“Eh. I’m more of a dark and handsome type.” I whispered back, looking between Charr and Kirito. Kirito caught my eye, but didn’t smile. I did see his eyes light up, though. Charr, on the other hand, just stared when our eyes met. 

“Alright. Now that we are all here, let’s get started. So the boss is Asterius the Taurus King. He is a black, half-bull half-human monster. He has a giant axe as a weapon and breathes a lightning attack. When hit with this lightning breath, you get stunned for about three seconds. The second time you get hit, you become paralyzed for thirty seconds, so avoid the attack at all costs.” Kirito started.

“He has six health bars, and when he’s down to his last bar, he goes into a berserk mode. When Asterius goes into berserk mode, his defense drops, but his damage output goes through the roof. This is where shield wielders will come in handy. I will try to take the most aggro, but I’m going to need you guys to take him out as soon as possible before my health gets too low. I am too young to kick the bucket, you know?” I joked.

“Now we all know that this isn’t going to be like the beta. We learned that at the floor one boss battle. So be ready for anything.” Kirito looked between everyone in the group. After making eye contact with me, he nodded, giving me the go ahead to continue.

“In the beta, Asterius didn’t have any minions with him. Kirito and I actually beat him on the first shot using the switch method. One would block the boss’ hit while the other would strike. So I am suggesting that we split into pairs and do the same, since we have an even amount of people. That way everyone has someone watching their backs. That is until he berserks” I looked around to nods of agreement from everyone. 

“I can help take the aggro when he berserks.” Stark said. He pulled up his menu and after a few clicks, a buckler and mace appeared.

“It’s gonna be a free for all in there. At the meeting yesterday there were twice as many people than at the Illfang meeting. So about forty people.” Asuna said to the group.

“I helped run the meeting and we decided we were going to fight in two groups. Group One fights and then switches with Group Two while Group One heals. These two groups are then separated into parties. Mine is Party D, we are in the first group.” Agil added.

“We were given Party L, but I guess we should combine the two parties.” Stark piped up. “Why weren’t you two at the meeting yesterday?” Stark asked Kirito and I.

“Stark, meet the Black Swordsman and the Azure Knight. Also known as Kirito and Sarasheem.” Charr introduced us.

“Ah. That makes sense then. Guess you two weren’t invited. You had to send in some spies.” Stark laughed.

It was at this point that I noticed the other parties had gathered for the boss fight. No one came near us, and I saw many people whispering and glaring at us. 

“Looks like we still aren’t welcome. Oh well. Sucks to be them. They’re stuck with us, so they will have to just deal.” I whispered to Kirito. His only reply was a nod.

“Hey! Who invited the beaters to the raid party?!” I heard a familiar voice shout. 

I turned to see the angry, spiky-haired Kibou storming up to our raid party. In tow were the same party members he had with Illfang, and another few that I didn’t recognize. I did notice he had a guild icon next to his name now, as did the players following him. 

Great! Of all the people to be here, he had to show up? Please tell me we won’t be kicked out of the boss fight. That would just make everything more difficult in beating the game so we can go home.

“Now, Kibou. You know we need as many people as we can to defeat these bosses. And these two are some of the best players in the game. Why risk losing more players over a silly grudge? Especially one that was unfounded.” Agil defended us. I was so grateful to know that not everyone hated us because we were beta testers.

Kibou must have realized that Agil was right. He harrumphed and walked off, his posse following with glares tossed at Kirito and I. None of our other party members got the same treatment, not even Agil. It made me wonder how long people would hate us.

“Alright everyone!” A man in heavy, red armor with white accents spoke up. He had his hair tied in a knot at the back of his head, with a similar hair color to Asuna’s. I saw on his chest plate he had a white cross, with the same cross on his huge red shield. Behind him was a large group of players with the same armor but the opposite color scheme to the front man. “I am Heathcliff! I am the guildmaster of the Knights of the Blood Oath. We seem to have everyone here for the boss fight! Please stay together! It should only be about a twenty minute walk to get to the boss’s cave, with another ten minutes to get to his room. You should all know from yesterday’s meeting what we are up against but I, or my guild, will repeat it for any newcomers who joined, so please come to one of us during the trip if you have any questions! With that said, let’s go beat a boss!”

Heathcliff looked over the crowd of players as if he was looking for someone. When his eyes reached Kirito and I, he nodded as if pleased we had joined the fight. He turned to the east and started walking. His guild spread themselves throughout the group of players, probably to make themselves available for questions or concerns.

“Hello. I am Godfree. I was asked by Heathcliff to fill you in on the plans for the boss fight. You are Kirito and Sarasheem, correct? The Black Swordsman and the Azure Knight?” 

“That’s what they call us. EIther that or the ‘beaters.” I replied. I stuck out my hand as an introduction. Godfree hesitated, but eventually shook my hand. I felt him squeeze, and saw his eyes widen when I didn’t flinch in response. I guess he expected me to be some flimsy girl playing dress up in heavy armor. He didn’t think I would put all my points into strength to be a better shield user.

“Well Godfree, guess you just learned not to judge a book by its cover.” I laughed and followed my party members at the back of the crowd. 

Kirito shot me a curious look, then smirked. He realized what Godfree had tried to do, and found it funny like me. Charr outright laughed, while everyone shot confused looks at each other.

“Guess you taught me a lesson!” Godfree laughed.


	13. Chapter 13

Godfree was a cheerful man. He looked to be about the same age as Agil, and he had a short beard and somewhat messy brown hair. He insisted on Kirito and I adding him to our friend list so that he could keep us informed on future boss fights. He also asked us if we wanted to join the Knights of the Blood Oath. Everyone shook their heads no, except Asuna. She seemed to be mulling it over. 

Due to being at the back of the raid party, we didn’t get to fight any of the monsters the group came across. Usually I would be aggravated by this, but today I let it go so that I could get to know my new party members better.

“So what do you guys use for weapons? I am an axe wielder myself. I prefer weapons that do more damage, even if they are slower. So how ‘bout it?” Godfree looked to me first for an answer.

“If you are that blind, maybe you shouldn’t be on the front lines.” Everyone, even Charr and Kirito, chuckled. “I’m a sword and shield user. You already know my strength skill is high from your attempt at showing dominance earlier.” I said with a knowing look.

Godfree turned a nice shade of red that complimented his unruly brown hair perfectly. I laughed at his embarrassment at being shown up by a girl, let alone a teenager at that. He cleared his throat and moved on to Kirito, who was walking right beside me.

“Single hand sword user. That’s it. Speed and strength are my focus.” He said staring straight ahead.

“Oh! I use just about everything! I change what I’m using depending on the battle. For this boss fight, I’m going to help Sara-sara-, sorry I don’t remember your name Miss.” Stark looked over at me.

“It’s Sarasheem, you dolt.” Charr answered before I could even open my mouth. He grabbed Stark in a headlock and ruffled his hair, all while still keeping pace with the group.

“So she’s the one you- ow!” Stark grabbed his arm where Charr had elbowed him. I had no idea what Stark was going to say, but I had a feeling it was about me. I gave Charr a quizzical look, but he just stared back with his usual, unreadable mask.

“Anyways… How about you Miss?” Godfree looked to Asuna.

“Asuna. My name is Asuna. I use a rapier, but no shield. A shield would just slow me down. So I guess I am a speed user?” 

She looked to Kirito for confirmation. I had forgotten that he told me that she was a new player and didn’t have much of an idea on what to do. Anytime she had questions, she messaged him. Normally, I would feel jealous about him staying up late to talk to her. But I know that we would both feel horrible if something happened to her because I was jealous or he didn’t answer her questions. From what he told me, she’s a fast learner. She is only a few levels below Kirito and I, at about eighteen where we were at level twenty-two.

After Kirito’s nod of approval, she and Godfree got to talking about guild life. It seemed Asuna was really interested in possibly joining the Knights of the Blood Oath. That made me feel better. Hopefully she joined so that she had other people to watch her back, rather than being a solo player. There was too high of a risk to go through the game solo. So joining a guild, any guild really, would do her more good than dying trying to survive on her own.

“So how long have you guys been playing together?” A deep voice to my left asked. I jumped with a scared squeak, it seemed I was doing that a lot today. I glared at the red-eyed boy that had appeared to my left. 

“Ever heard that it’s rude to sneak up on your teammates and scaring the crap out of them? And who are you referring to?” I looked over to Kirito who had already fallen back to talk to Agil about the logistics of opening a shop. Stark was also with them, putting in some ideas of his own.

“You know who I am talking about. You and boy wonder. How long have you been playing together. You’re obviously quite close. I’ve yet to hear a story about you two not fighting together. Sounds like you’re a well oiled machine. I’m glad I finally get to see you guys in action today.”

“Oh. We met in the beta. Actually, it was at this point that we met up, trying to find the boss for floor two. I had gotten myself stuck at a dead end, surrounded by Kobalt Warriors and a few Kobalt Wolves. Suddenly, half of them turned around and started attacking someone else.

“That someone was Kirito. He saved my ass that day. In the beta, you just reappeared at the teleport in the Town Of Beginnings when you died. It wouldn’t have been too bad if I failed. But he definitely saved me about four hours of gameplay to get back to where I was. 

“After we beat the horde, we decided to compare notes and found out that between the two of us we only had one more hallway to go down. That was where Asterius was. After kicking butt and taking names, we kept playing together. We managed to get to the floor eight boss together.

“So I think we’ve been playing for almost six months together?” Charr’s only response was a quirked eyebrow as if to say, “how should I know?” “How about you and Stark? I didn’t see him last week when we met you chopping wood. He a friend of yours?” 

“I actually met him the day after I met the two of you. I stumbled upon him facing off a Field Boss, you know the tree one in the Eastern Forest. I saw him switching weapons in the middle of the battle. He was using a sword and shield until he stunned the boss, then switched to a two-handed axe. When the stun wore off, he went with a spear. I have never seen anything like it. So we partnered up for a while.” Charr had a bit of admiration in his voice. 

“Wow! Really? I’ve never heard of anyone doing that! That’s gotta be extremely difficult to do. If he uses each weapon to level up the skill, he’s gotta be out there grinding at every opportunity. Which means he’s gotta be super high in level…” I trailed off in thought.

“He’s level twenty six. I’m only level twenty. I don’t know how he does it. It must be going after all the big monsters rather than wasting time on the little guys.” Isao picked that moment to fly over and land on Charr’s head and growl. I giggled at Charr’s huff of semi-annoyance. He reached up and the little dragon jumped onto his palm. With a sigh of contentment to Charr stroking his spiny back, he drifted off to sleep.

“I am so jealous. I want a dragon so bad! If I knew that skill existed, I would totally have gone for it.” I grumbled. Charr’s only response was a smirk, as he continued petting his sleeping dragon.

The group stopped in front of a small opening at the edge of a small mountain range. I recognized where we were, but this was the opposite side of the map from where the boss was in the beta. I guess the farther up we went, the less like the beta this hell-world got. 

“We have made it to the entrance to the Boss’ Cave. Unlike on the first floor where we had to go through the tower to find Illfang, the door to Asterius is just at the end of this cave. We sent a group to clear the cave ahead of the main group, so there won’t be any fighting until we get to the door. 

“According to the guidebooks from the beta, Asterius doesn’t have any minions. So everyone will be going head on with him. Yesterday we split the raid party into two groups, One and Two. I will lead the charge with Group One. Agil, back there, is in charge of Group Two. From there you were split even more into your party groups.

“Some of you may recognize a couple infamous players joining us. I want you all to set aside this grudge you hold against them. You never know when your lives will be in their hands, so I suggest you just let this go, completely. If I find anyone here purposefully puts their lives in danger, I will make sure you never join a raid party again. If you are a member of KBO and you do this, you will be immediately exiled from the guild. Am I understood?” Heathcliff looked for nods from the crowd. When he seemed to be content with their answers, he continued, “If you want to turn back, now is your last chance. Otherwise, follow me!” 

With that said, he turned and disappeared into the cave. For once, no one dared glare at the beaters before following Heathcliff.


	14. Chapter 14

The door to Asterius’ chambers was very similar to that of Illfang’s door. The only difference being that Asterius’ had two snakes wrapped around each other in the center of the door, rather than just the one on Illfang’s.

The tension was so high that it could be cut with just the slice of a blade. Every player had tense shoulders and a tight grip on their weapon of choice, including Kirito and I. I glanced over the rest of our party and gave each of them a smile to try and lighten the mood. But that might have just been for me, too. 

Heathcliff turned to face the crowd once more to give each party leader a nod. Most likely to make sure their parties were ready to face Asterius the Taurus King. When it seemed like he was convinced, he turned and placed his hand on the twin snakes. Just like with Illfang’s room, it was dark as a moonless night. The lights didn’t come on until Heathcliff’s guild made it a quarter of the way into the room, similar to Diavel’s party on floor one.

When the room was filled with the rainbow lights of a low level boss room, I noticed the differences between this room and Illfang’s. The same stone dias was at the opposite end with a throne and shadowed figure, Asterius. Instead of the long hallway with pillars, this room was round and the columns were a part of the walls. Between each column was a small lit sconce and a fleur-de-lis pattern. On each side of the room was an archway that I couldn’t see into. They weren’t in the beta boss battle, so I had no idea what they were for. 

I caught Kirito’s eye and nodded to the doorways with a raised eyebrow. Those weren’t in the beta, right? My unvoiced question to him. His return nod was all the answer I needed to know that we were in for another surprise, and not one I was looking forward to see.

“Arms to the ready!” Heathcliff yelled from the frontlines. The remainder of the players made a wall on either side of the KBO guild to face whatever was coming our way.

Asterius stood and gave a mighty roar, but didn’t jump down from his platform to face us. Instead from each doorway came a bull-like creature smaller than Asterius, but still much larger than even Agil. One had a blue coloring to it while the other had a red coloring. The blue beast’s name was Nato the Colonel Taurus, under his name sat three HP gauges. While being the smallest of the three bull-like beasts, he had the biggest hooves and horns that reminded me of a water buffalo. In his hands he wielded a two-handed hammer.

The red taurus had the name of Baran the General Taurus. Baran had long horns, one on each side of his head. He wore chains around his neck and a gold earring in each ear. He had a ponytail of gray hair coming out of the back of his head between his horns and a short scruffy neckbeard. Hanging from Baran’s waist was a gold cloth and in his hands was a battle hammer that matched the gold of the rest of his accessories. While twice the size of Nato, Baran also had four health bars. Meaning Baran was going to be the tougher of the two beasts to kill.

There was no way we could continue with the original plan. We now had two enemies, with a third to follow at any given time. Before I realized what he was doing, Kirito started spouting off orders to the large group.

“Heathcliff, take your guild and two thirds of the group and focus on the red one. He must be stronger, so you’ll need more people to take him down. The rest of the group, help our party with Nato. Divide and conquer and then we can focus on Asterius whenever he shows up! Let’s go people! If we don’t move, we aren’t gonna make it to see another day!” Kirito took off towards Nato. With a war cry, I followed along with the rest of our party.

All of the other players looked to Heathcliff for confirmation, because it seemed no one wants to listen to the beaters in order to save their lives. “What are you waiting for? You heard the man! Don’t be such idiots that you would get yourselves killed just because it’s the Black Swordsman telling you what to do!” He yelled at the crowd with an annoyed look on his face.

Finally, after Heathcliff telling which groups were to help the KBO with Baran and which were to help our party with Nato, the other players started to fight. By the time other players joined our party; Asuna, Kirito, Charr and I already had the first health bar down a quarter of the way. Agil and Stark didn’t have as much speed so they blocked the first couple of swings from Nato. 

“Kirito, swing!” I yelled and ran at him. He quickly sheathed his sword and grabbed the front of my shield. Using my momentum, he swung me twice around and threw me towards Nato. While in the air, I spun so I was facing the blue creature. I put the hilt of my sword horizontally in front of my shield to prevent the pommel from jamming me in the chest. 

Like a bullet, I shot at Nato with my sword skill active. First my sword stabbed him in the chest followed by my Shield Bash skill to his face. On other monsters that Kirito and I tried this on, they were knocked out for about fifteen seconds on the strongest. I didn’t think Nato would be stunned as he was much stronger than any monsters we had come up against, but I was wrong. 

When my shield came in contact with his horns, Nato snarled as he was thrown backwards onto the floor. It seemed that the horns were a soft spot for the bull. We may have found our ticket to an easier fight.

“Holy crap! I have never seen anything like that before! You two got anymore moves like that up your sleeves?” Charr called out laughing as he slashed the downed Nato across the leg.

“Man the things you two come up with! Bruiser was a good name for ya!” Agil yelled as he brought his hammer down on Nato’s chest. 

“Great hit. That one was dead on!” Kirito clapped me on the shoulder. Our eyes met and he gave me a small smile before continuing on to our opponent.

Stark and Asuna had their jaws on the floor. I giggled and went in for another hit to see that the beast was already getting up after only five seconds. Before he was completely up, I swung my sword down his inner thigh before diving between his legs to dodge his hammer.

With a massive roar, Nato stomped the ground. He leaned over as if in preparation for a charge and tensed. Kirito and I looked at each other, confused as to why he stopped moving before being knocked off our feet from his charge. 

“Sarasheeem!” “Kirito!” Charr and Asuna yelled out, respectively. After I rolled to a stop with a groan, I looked over to Kirito. I checked my interface to see he and I were both in the yellow on our HP gauges. 

“Damn that was a rough hit,” a gravelly voice in my ear said. I looked up to find the red-eyed Charr leaning over me with a potion in hand. Perched on his shoulder was Isao, his little red dragon, with a worried look on his face. Charr reached a hand out to help me to my feet before handing me the potion to fill my HP. Asuna was doing the same with Kirito, and I felt the burn of jealousy light up my face.

I felt an elbow in my rib and turned back to face Charr. “We should probably get back to the fight. Nato is down to his last health bar and just took a bunch of people out with some lightning hammer attack. Your boyfriend will be fine.” He held out his hand to me once again.

“Best friend. Not boyfriend. But yeah, let’s go.” I mumbled dejectedly and took his offered hand. With a deep breath I headed back towards the battle where half of the group fighting Nato were stunned while the other half were blocking hits. 

It seemed that whenever the paralysis from one attack faded, another was performed. Nato was lifting his hammer over his head, hesitating for just a moment, before bringing it down with bolts of lightning coming out in shock tendrils. He was spamming this between charges due to his low health. 

“Hey Charr, I have an idea. You know how Kirito threw me at Nato and he was stunned after I hit him in the face with my shield? I wonder if his horns are a weak spot. See if Isao can get close enough to hit them.” I said to the red-eyed boy next to me. I didn’t realize I was still holding his hand and immediately dropped it as if it was on fire.

“You heard the lady. Go get him Isao.” Charr said to the fiery dragon before chuckling as I practically threw his hand away from me. 

We ran back into the fray just as Isao landed a hit on Nato’s horns. Like I had predicted, Nato was stunned for a few seconds before rejoining the fight. 

“Kirito! I think we need to do another swing! Try to aim me at his head!” I yelled over to the black swordsman. 

“Gotcha!” He replied back as he grabbed my shield again and threw me. “Shit!” Before he was ready to let go, Kirito stumbled and his aim along with our momentum was thrown off. It was actually lucky as Nato had lowered his head to charge again, meaning I would have ended up hitting Nato’s stomach if he hadn’t bent over. 

Just like last time, Nato was knocked backwards when my shield came in contact with his horns. I gave a joyful cry of victory as the remainder of our group went after him in a frenzy, leaving Nato shattering to pieces.

“Great work guys! Looks like Baran is on his last leg too!” Agil called.

Suddenly the room shook with a massive roar. I looked back to Asterius’ throne to see he had disappeared. Searching the room found him coming down where Baran was frozen in the death freeze before he would have shattered. Instead, he was crushed under Asterius’ hooves. 

“Well here comes the big guns,” my black-cloaked partner said to me before all hell broke loose.


	15. Chapter 15

Asterius the Taurus King. The half-bull beast was black as ink and even bigger than Baran was. Around his waist was a chainmail skirt with a hole in the back just big enough for his tail. With a bare chest, he held a hammer that was twice the size of Baran’s. Hanging from his chin was a beard that swung down to his stomach. Sitting atop his head was a silver crown, held up by his six horns. Lastly, hovering above his shoulder was his six health bars, along with his name.

Asterius was going to be twice as hard to beat as Nato. 

“Aim for the horns! If he’s like Nato, then it should stun him for a bit! Be on the lookout for his breath attack!” I screamed at the Nato group. 

At that moment, Asterius was only swinging his hammer. Not even using sword skills, yet. The Baran group was working on blocking and switching his attacks. No one had tried to stun him yet. 

As the Nato group joined the battle, I heard Charr yell my command to the Baran group. He also told his dragon to aim for Asterius’ horns with his fire breath to try and stun him, the same as with Nato. 

It was a madhouse in here. There were too many people for everyone to get in a hit on the black bull. It was one enemy, and about forty of us. Not nearly enough room for players to get in and out of Asterius’ range. No one was following the original plan for this battle. This wasn’t going to work. We needed to get back to the original plan.

Suddenly, Asterius leaned back to take in a deep lungful of air. Crap, that meant-

“GET BACK! HE”S GOING TO USE HIS LIGHTNING BREATH!” I yelled from the back of the crowd. Of course because it was so packed, no one could really get out of the way. After the attack finished, three players perished and about half the crowd was paralyzed. 

“Kirito! Swing!” I knew he wouldn’t be able to throw me high enough to hit the horns, but hopefully I can get there faster and distract him long enough to let the other players heal. With this move, Kirito can throw me over the paralyzed players so I didn’t have to try and weave through them. Saving time and lives in the process.

I couldn’t hold Asterius off for long. Just two hits had my health in the red. The other twenty players that didn’t get paralyzed were getting paralysis potions to those who needed them. Plus, they were scared of getting hit by another lightning attack. It felt like deja vu, like what happend with Illfang right after he killed Diavel.

But I had to protect everyone, that’s what a knight does. If I was going to call myself a knight, dammit I was gonna see to it that I was a knight until my dying breath. 

Blocking and dodging hits is hard when it’s one on one with a boss. Luckily, Isao was stunning Asterius for a second here and there so that I could catch my breath. It wasn’t long enough for me to get a health potion, though. Even in the beta when it was Kirito and I facing off against Asterius, it wasn’t too hard since we had someone to watch our back. We didn’t even know about the horns stunning him until our fight with Nato, today.

My party mates must have been helping the players who were paralyzed from the lightning breath attack. Hence why I was fighting by myself for so long. I was too focused on my battle to look around at what happened to them. All of my attention was on my battle with Asterius, I had no time to worry about anything else.

Someone grabbed my shoulder and threw me backwards to block the next hit with their longsword. It was good timing because that attack probably would have made it past my shield and killed me if they hadn’t stepped in. I landed on my backside and another set of hands dragged me even further away from the fight. When I stopped moving I finally looked up at who had pulled me out of the fight.

Charr was up against Asterius with Stark and Asuna on either side of him. The other players were joining Charr, two at a time. From my peripheral, I saw a black gloved hand shoving a potion in front of me. I followed the arm, already knowing who it was, to find Kirito looking down at me with concerned eyes. “You shouldn’t have gone in on your own. Why didn’t you wait for me?” He asked.

“There wasn’t any time. Besides, you guys had to help the other players get out of there. But thanks for the save. I’m pretty sure you saved my life, again.” I smiled at him as I drank the proffered potion. I watched my health return to full green before standing. “Let’s go kick us some bull ass.”

Kirito gave me a small smile before grabbing my shield hand and squeezing. I didn’t want to let go, but I knew that the raid party needed us. With a sigh I let go of his hand and turned to run back towards the fight.

By this time, Asterius was on his last bar. He was going to go berserk any minute now. This fight is going to get ten times harder now. Luckily, it meant that it was almost over, thank god.

Isao, Charr’s dragon, was a godsend. He would stun Asterius as much as possible, making it easier to get hits on him while he was stunned. Unfortunately, this meant that just about every attack was his lightning breath or Numbing Detonation, his hammer skill that sends shockwaves with twice the range that Nato’s did. The only way to avoid this skill was jumping at the perfect time while also being able to block Asterius’ swing immediately after. 

Kirito and I knew when to jump and block, along with only one other player. Heathcliff never let his health get past halfway, and also knew how to avoid getting paralyzed by Asterius. He must have been a beta tester, otherwise there is no way he would know how to dodge these attacks. I don’t think I’ve seen him get hit more than twice this whole battle. But I wasn’t paying too close attention due to trying not to die. 

“Alright guys! Last round I think! Let’s give it all we got!” Agil said after recovering from paralysis behind Asterius’ left hoof. Once again, our party were the last hitters to finish off the boss, along with Heathcliff this time. 

With final war cries, we all slashed, hacked, bashed, and stabbed Asterius. Agil, with a mighty swing of his axe, got the last attack before Asterius disintegrated into tiny rainbow shards. And with that, floor two was cleared.

I collapsed onto my back, breathing heavily and laughing. All of the other players whooped and cheered for the victory, though there were a few people less ecstatic due to their lost party members. 

Heathcliff called from the front of the crowd for a moment of silence for the five lost players. The three from Asterius’ first lightning breath attack, and two perished in the battle with Baran. While I was sad for the lives lost today, I was grateful that none of my friends were among the dead.

I sat up to look for Kirito so that I could celebrate this victory with my best friend. When I finally laid eyes on him, I wish I had just stayed laying down. My black swordsman had another girl in his arms, hugging her. I knew Asuna was starting to fall for Kirito, I just didn’t think he was feeling the same way.

When they broke apart, I quickly laid back down so that he didn’t know I saw. Tears sprang to my eyes, but before they could fall I put my arm over my face to hide them. I was not the crying type. And I didn’t want Kirito to know how hurt I was to find him hugging Asuna. It’s not like we were actually together, so I had no real claim on him. Still hurt though.

What I didn’t realize, was that I was not the only one to see this whole exchange along with my reaction. A pair of smoldering, fire red eyes saw everything. 

“You gonna lay there all day? Or are ya gonna join me on floor three?” A deep voice called from above me. I removed my arm from over my face, clearing as much of the tears as I could, to see Agil holding a hand out to me. When he saw my eyes he raised a brow in question. A question that I refused to answer.

“Just taking a breather. You try going toe to toe with a floor boss on your own for three minutes.” I chuckled, accepting his help to stand.

“Yeah. That was some fightin’ you did there. You saved many lives today. Thank you, Sarasheem. Guess Azure Knight was a good nickname for you.” He roared with a laugh that came from his belly.

“Just ‘cause they call us beaters, doesn’t mean we actually are.” I laughed with him as the rest of the party joined us. “Oh you got the last attack bonus, didn’t you Agil?” I asked the giant of a man.

“Yes ma’am, I did! Got me Asterius’ axe, the Lightning Berserker. Wanna see it?” He waggled his eyebrows, pulling up his menu to select his new axe.

The thing was massive. It stood as tall as Agil, which was over six feet in height. It was a double bladed axe, with a spike between the blades on the opposite end of the metal shaft. The blades were a lighter gray while the rest was an inky black color. Every thirty seconds or so, tiny blue sparks shot off of the mighty axe. This was definitely a weapon that screamed, Asterius the Taurus King.

“That’s a mighty weapon you got there! Any special traits? And why an axe when Asterius carries a hammer?” Stark asked excitedly, bouncing on his heels a bit.

“The stats say it has a fifteen percent chance to paralyze opponents on the first hit, with a five percent chance after that. It’s got a higher attack than my hammer now. Can’t wait to test this baby out!” Another booming laugh escaped him, causing everyone else to laugh with him.

“The game gives an item based on the boss defeated for the bonuses. Like Sarasheem got Kobald Shield for the defense bonus. It makes taking on the boss worthwhile.” Kirito answered Stark’s question.

“Anyways, who's ready for floor three?” Asuna exclaimed, grabbing Kirito’s hand and bolting for the stairs that appeared in the place of the door Baran had entered from.

“Wha-what are you doing?” he asked shocked at being dragged away from the group. He looked back to catch my eye with an unspoken apology. I just hoped he didn’t see the hurt in my eyes, or the red rings that surrounded them from my earlier tears.

Stark followed them after he finished chuckling and called for them to wait for him. Agil wanted to talk to some of the other players before heading for the stairs. That just left Charr and I to make our way towards the next floor.

“So when are you going to tell him about your feelings? Better make it quick, before she gets to him first.” He ambled as Stark started up the first few steps. I gave Charr a quizzical look, as if to ask what are you talking about. “Don’t give me that. I saw your face when Asuna hugged him after the battle, and just now when she dragged him away. You like him. Anyone who pays attention to you can see it. So when are you going to tell him?” 

I stopped, looking up in shock. “Is it that obvious?” When he nodded, my face went red as a tomato in embarrassment. “I don’t know how to tell him. And should I even bother? He seems to like Asuna. And do I even know him? I mean, we haven’t talked about who we are outside of the game. I realized that I don’t know anything about him. I like someone that all I know about him is his age and what he looks like. Can I even say that I like him?” Tears gathered in my eyes once again and I rubbed my eyes to prevent them from falling. I’m turning into such a cry baby over a boy. 

“Well start asking about his life. Ask the hard questions. Tell him how you feel. It will hurt more if you lose him to someone else than if you never tried in the first place. Worst case scenario, you got me if you need a shoulder to cry on.” Charr bumped his shoulder against mine smiling.

“Thanks, Charr. I’ll keep that in mind. I appreciate you looking out for me, though.” I smiled half-heartedly before I entered the portal to floor three.


	16. Chapter 16

I ended up disregarding Charr’s advice about telling Kirito about my feelings for him. I was too much of a coward to risk losing his friendship over my feelings for the black-eyed boy. Kirito never brought up the hug with Asuna. Not that I asked him about it, either. I didn’t want to make it seem like I was jealous that another girl liked Kirito as more than just a friend. Who was I to get in the middle of his business? I’m not his girlfriend, and he can have female friends. Damn, my thoughts sounded so jealous.

Nothing really changed in our partnership, luckily. Kirito and I continued clearing floors and leveling together. We joined the raid party for the boss fights and after every floor clearing I went to go see Argo to tell her about the new information for the bosses, along with anytime I found something I thought she would find interesting for her guidebooks. One thing that changed about the boss fights was that a scouting party was always sent in before the raid group was formed. This made it easier to prepare for the boss fights, since we realized after beating floor two that we couldn’t completely trust the beta, anymore. The new system was working much better than going in without a scouting party. We’ve cleared floor ten and hadn’t had a death since the fight with Asterius. 

Currently, on floor twenty, I was catching up with Argo while Kirito was killing time by grinding in a cave on floor eleven. He was trying to get a specific set of boots that only the mid-level boss could give. I was updating her on the nineteenth floor boss raid along with the beginning quests for the floor. 

“So you still against helping to train the lower level players? We could still use a great shield user. And I’ve heard of some of the moves you and Kirito come up with. People still talk about that swinging move you guys used at the fight with Nato. Not to mention the one you guys used with the last boss fight where Kirito used your shield to jump up higher. All the younger players can’t stop talking about you guys.” Argo elbowed me in the side.

“Yeah. Kirito and I are part of the front lines, so we need to keep our levels up so that we can help out with the fights. Besides, Stark and Charr are helping you aren’t they? With the two of them, you guys should have all the help you need.” I grinned back at her.

“Speaking of boy wonder, how are things going between you two? Does he know how you feel yet?” She gave me a mischievous smirk. 

“Jeez, you sound just like Charr. You know why I haven’t said anything to Kirito. I just can’t, you know? I don’t want to lose him.” I hung my head and kicked at the ground.

“Well don’t wait too long. Anyways, the offer still stands if you wanna help teach the newbies. We could use all the help we can get!” She spun around and disappeared around the corner, cloak billowing out from behind her.

Coincidentally, a chat window popped up in front of me as soon as Argo left. It was from Kirito, he wanted to know where I was so we could meet up. I let him know that I was in the Nitro Town Square and I had just seen Argo off.

After about ten minutes, Kirito came skidding around the same corner Argo disappeared from. Finally back in his complete ‘Black Swordsman’ outfit, Kirito stood before me with a giant grin on his face. I didn’t think I had seen him this happy since the beta, since before we started this game of hell.

“What’s gotten into you? You’re running around like a chicken with its head chopped off. And grinning like a fool.” Kirito was bouncing on his toes in his excitement, as if he was a little kid on Christmas morning.

“I got invited to join a guild! I told them I would meet up with them at the tavern tonight, on floor eleven. They aren’t front liners, but they want to become strong enough to join the raiding party. I asked them if you could join, but they said they wanted to meet you first. Isn’t this great! We’re joining a guild!” Kirito grabbed my hands and spun me around.

“Do they know who you are? Who we are? And how did you even meet them? I thought you said you would never join a guild?” I asked anxiously, anger starting to heat up my cheeks.

“They don’t know that we are the ‘Black Swordsman’ and ‘Azure Knight.’ But they seem like good people. And Sachi is such a sweet girl! She’s terrified of being on the front lines, but is trying to get passed that fear. 

“I met them in that dungeon I was in, the Labyrinth. They were being swarmed by monsters and I swooped in and saved them. So they asked me to join their guild and help Sachi become more comfortable with fighting. And… I never thought I’d-no we would-get asked to join a guild… Is it such a bad thing, to join a guild that wants us?” He stared at his twiddling hands, suddenly nervous.

“First Asuna, now this Sachi girl? Are you going for a harem now? You were the one who didn’t want to join a guild. I even asked about starting one between us and our friends. You know, between us, Charr and Stark, and Agil and Asuna we would have had a strong guild even if small. You shot that down real quick, though. So when it’s my idea, it’s terrible. But when it’s your idea, we should automatically go for it?

“You know what? Fine. Go join your new guild. Have at it. Not like my opinion ever mattered, I guess. I think I’m going to take Argo up on that offer to train the other players. So enjoy time with your new friends.” I angrily turned on my heel and ran, tears stinging my eyes. 

I ignored Kirito calling for me to wait. I couldn’t let him see how hurt I was. I couldn’t let him see how much I cared for him and how much it upset me that, once again, I was just a friend to him. He never saw me as a girl who loved him, just as his fighting partner. Even though I should have expected it, it still stung. 

Using the main teleport gate, I went back to Tolbana on the first floor. Since it was late, I figured I would message Argo the next day and finally accept her offer. I’m sure Stark could use the help in training the shield users, since he levels all of his weapons evenly his shield skill isn’t as high as mine. Plus I could teach them the new trick Kirito and I…

That’s right. No more Kirito. I don’t know if this meant that he will be on the frontlines with his group now, or ever again. He said they weren’t ready for the front lines. But if they are this high up on the floors, they can’t be far behind. I’m sure he could get them caught up… 

I had to stop thinking about him. I could barely see through the tears as it was. I had to find an inn nearby so I could cry in peace. Couldn’t ruin the image of the ‘Azure Knight,’ the beater and partner to the ‘Black Swordsman.’ Guess this meant that ‘Bruiser’ was no longer a team too…

“Sarasheem? What are you doing all the way down on the first floor? And… wait… Are you crying?” A familiar, deep voice sounded over to my right. When I looked up after clearing some of the tears from my eyes, I saw a pair of red eyes staring back at me with a confused and worried expression wrinkling his brows. Isao gave a tiny chirp-growl in question.

“Ah, it’s nothing. I decided to take Argo up on her offer so I’ll be helping you and Stark out now. I just got down here so I figured I’d let her know tomorrow that I changed my mind…” I trailed off wiping my tears away.

“What did that asshole do now? You never wanted to join the instructors before. What changed your mind if not for Kirito being a jerk?” Charr growled and crossed his arms.

“It’s nothing. Just decided to part ways. I’m gonna call it a night. I’m tired. I’ll see you tomorrow.” My shoulders slumped to try and sell the lie. Well it wasn’t completely a lie. I was tired, but not tired enough that I would go to sleep right away. I’d probably be up half the night crying anyways. Damn, heartbreak hurts bad. Why couldn’t this pain not exist like being hit by monsters didn’t actually hurt?

“Well if you wanna talk about it, I’m always here. Stark and I are staying at Rooftop Rafters. It’s on the outskirts and usually has a room available. Plus it’s the one closest to where we train the new players in Outcast Plains. C’mon, I’ll show you.” Charr walked back the direction he came from.

I didn’t answer and just followed the tall boy. It wasn’t a long walk, but it was silent except for the little grunts and growls that Charr’s dragon let out every once in a while. Before I knew it, I was paying for my room and being led up a flight of stairs. 

I walked into Charr’s back when he stopped outside of a door. “I think this one is you. I just happen to be the one next door. Stark is up another flight of stairs and the last one on the right of that hallway, if you want to talk to him. He will be happy to hear you are joining us, he had some ideas on new moves like what you and Kirito used to pull in the boss fights. I’ll leave you be to get settled. I’ll come get you in the morning before training begins.

“And Sarasheem,” he waited for me to meet his eyes before continuing, “I don’t know what happened between you two. I’m sorry for whatever he did or said, but know that I truly am here if you want to talk or vent. I hear PVP is a great way to get out any anger you have.” He chuckled and I gave a small smirk.

“Thanks Charr. Maybe they should call you the ‘Red Knight,’ for being so chivalrous. I’ll message Argo now instead of waiting until tomorrow so she can expect me in the morning. So see you tomorrow…” My voice was flat. No emotion. And my fake smile didn’t fool anyone, least of all someone who knew me as well as Charr did. 

I opened my door quickly to get away from those piercing red eyes that I knew saw right through me. If only a pair of black eyes saw my feelings the same way Charr did… 

Kirito:  
I had no idea what was going on. Why did Sarasheem run off? Why was she so mad? Shouldn’t she be happy that we got invited to join a guild?

I called after her running figure, but she either didn’t hear me or ignored me. I could not fathom what made her so upset at me. I mean, yeah I turned down the idea of starting our own guild and asking Asuna, Charr, Stark, and Agil to join us. But that was different. Wasn’t it?

And what was that about starting a harem crap? Asuna and I are just friends. And I just met Sachi. How could she ever think I’d want a harem? I can’t have female friends with her around, now? It’s not like we are dating or anything. Sarasheem and I are just friends, too. Aren’t we? Did she see us as more than friends?

Dammit! I was so confused. Maybe I’ll ask her tomorrow after she’s had time to cool off. It was almost time to meet the Moonlit Black Cats on floor eleven, anyways. I’ll just have to make sure they would be willing to let her join later, after she calms down. The guild, and I, could really use her tanking skills.

I was just about to enter the tavern when a chat window popped up. I opened it, hoping it was Sarasheem, only to be surprised and a little crestfallen to see that it was from Charr.

Hey. Sarasheem on first floor. Really upset. What did you do, asshole? Never seen her like this before. I’ll kick your ass if you hurt her.  
Charr

Oh great. She ran to that guy. Why would she go to him over Argo or Agil? Even that Stark guy would have been better than Charr. Didn’t she say she was going to help the lower level players learn to fight with Argo? So what was she doing with him?

I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. I knew she was upset, but still wasn’t any closer as to why nor how to fix it. I stuck with my plan to wait until tomorrow to message her. My soon-to-be new guild was waiting for me to tell them my decision to join them. I wasn’t going to let this fight with Sarasheem ruin the possibility of having a guild to call my friends.


	17. Chapter 17

Sarasheem:  
“Come on guys! Liven up! We still have one more corridor to search, then we can all go home for the night!” I called out to my students. 

Every morning was spent with the trainers teaching their respective weapons to the lower level players. In the afternoon each ‘professor’ took a mixed-weapon group of players into the boss’ tower to train and level them up. When a big enough group reached level twenty, we took them in to fight Illfang. For the most part, the instructors stayed back and out of the fight. Unless they needed us to step in, the students fought the boss on their own. After they cleared Illfang, they were let loose on their own. Most of them formed guilds with their respective training groups, as it creates a special bond that they wish to continue plowing through the game together.

It’s been eight and a half months since Kirito and I parted ways. I still helped the raiding party with clearing levels, currently they are up on the 46th floor, but Kirito hadn't joined the frontlines since he joined his guild. 

In the beginning, he was messaging me every day, begging for me to talk to him and work this out. But I never responded to any of them. The daily messages eventually turned into once every couple weeks. They always spoke of how his guild was doing and how much he loved the guild life, while also wishing I was there with him, gushing about how Sachi is growing into such a fighter. All the messages did was make me jealous and bring back the anger I felt when we broke up our partnership, hence why I never responded to them.

It was Christmas Eve and I missed Kirito dearly. But Charr and Stark have done everything they can to keep my mind off of everything. They keep me busy planning training sessions and group activities, while also finding time to keep our levels up with the raid party. 

I was having fun teaching all types of players. I’ve had players as young as twelve and as old as sixty! Boy was that sixty year old man a wise guy! It was always ‘back in my day’ this and ‘when I was young’ that. He gave me a run for my money, that's for sure, but he was definitely one of my favorite students.

Argo and the instructors decided that we will wait until after the new year to start the training back up. It gave us some time to breathe and enjoy the holidays. The game turned every level into a winter wonderland with snow, christmas trees, sleds, and even reindeer were added as special monsters for quests. 

Eventually, I told Charr what happened between Kirito and I. He and I became quite close during our training together. Charr gave me a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen to my rants about Kirito and his new guild. He was also my go to guy if I needed a test subject to try a new move or to battle in mock PVP to show the students how to fight with a shield. 

If it weren’t for Charr, I would be a miserable mess right now. Without realizing it, he taught me that putting my whole life into one person is unhealthy. That I needed to be happy just being myself, even if that meant being on my own. I could never repay him for the kindness and generosity he has shown me these last few months. He sometimes made me forget that Kirito and I aren’t partners anymore, and that I was going to be okay to clear this game without him by my side. I still had other people I could depend on.

After we finished training for the day, Charr and I decided to hang out in the central plaza on floor twenty. It was the most festive and reminded me of the decorations my family would put up during the holidays. While it did make me feel homesick, I was happy that I could spend this night with a close friend. Even if that friend wasn’t Kirito.

“Hey Sarasheem? What do you plan to do if we survive and get out of this game? Like, what are your dreams?” Charr asked me as we watched the snow fall.

“Well, I’m still in high school. I just turned seventeen in August, but I highly doubt I would get to keep up with the rest of my class since I’m stuck here. I was in my first year of high school when the game started. I wanted to eventually be a veterinarian, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen now...” I trailed off forlornly. I didn’t realize how much of my life outside was wasting away with every day that I spent in this death world, and how much longer would we be stuck here?

“Well that’s more than me. I was just starting my last year of high school when I got caught up in this game. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to go to university or get a job. I’ll be turning nineteen in April.” He glowered at the clouded sky.

“No way! You’re only two years older than me? Wow! Here I was thinking you were already in college.” I laughed while looking at him with adoration.

“Nope. I go to school in Kanagawa Prefecture. Or went to school…" Charr trailed off becoming lost in his thoughts.

"Really? I live in Kawasaki! Wow! To think you go to school in the same prefecture as me!" I lightly punched his arm to bring his thoughts back to the conversation. 

"Kawasaki High School? How have we not crossed paths before if we went to the same school?" He shot back incredulously. 

"Well you are two years older than me. And I'm not really the social type. I have made more friends in the year and a half since this game has started than in my whole school career. I'm the 'American Outcast,' as my classmates called me." I morosely told him. 

I had to fight back the tears that threatened to overflow. I had been such a lonely person since moving from America to Japan when I was eleven. Not to mention the fact that I had a large scar running through my eyebrow. Kids found the scar unsightly. All the bullying, both physically and emotionally took its toll on my mental health. And eventually that bullying turned into completely ignoring me. In the last two years of school before Sword Art: Online, not a single student had said a word to me. The teachers barely spoke to me either. 

School life was rough for me, it's partially why I wanted to be a veterinarian. Animals don't judge you based on your looks or nationality. And it's a job where I wouldn't have to deal with too many people. It was a win-win career in my opinion.

"...That's why I threw myself into SA:O. At least here no one knew me, and if they wanted to bully me I'd just kick their ass. It helped that Kirito and I became top players in the beta."

"I think I remember my brother telling me about you. He never gave me a name for the lonely girl, he just said she was a year ahead of him in school and everyone hated her 'cause she was American." Charr hung his head as if in shame. "I always felt bad whenever he told me those stories. I tried to get him to stand up for her-you-but he was too afraid of being outcasted like you had been. I'm sorry. I wish I had tried harder to find you myself or get him to help you."

"It's all good. Not like we can change the past. But… if you wanna make it up to me I've got a request." I smirked mischievously. 

"Uh-oh. I'm not going to like this request of yours, am I?" Charr chuckled as he leaned back against the bench we were sitting on. 

From the corner of my eye I watched Charr sneak his hand along the back of the bench so it was laying behind my shoulders. Just like in those romance movies where the guy is about to put his arms over the girls shoulders. I jumped up off the bench and turned to face him. I pulled out my sword and pointed the blade at my dragon-tamer friend. 

"I changed my mind, I'm making two requests. First, after this training session I demand a PVP duel. Let's see who is better with their weapons. Second, if we ever make it out of this hellhole alive, we should meet up IRL. I wanna see how much of that badass-ness is real." I laughed and sheathed my sword in its scabbard.

Charr got up from his seat and stood so close to me that I had to tilt my head to look into his smoldering red eyes. When he stands this close, I can't help but remember how much taller he is from me. Also the fact that he is very good looking, if I wasn't already in love with Kirito I probably could have fallen for this boy. No not a boy. This man...

"I will honor those requests on one condition…" Charr's warm breath fanned over my face. His large hand cupped my cheek, his fingers drifting into my hairline. His other hand reached around my ribs, due to the height difference, to press me closer to him.

Before I realized what was happening, Charr bent his head to press his lips against mine. It was a soft, sweet kiss and also my first one ever. His lips were gentle and warm against my own. I was so shocked that I froze, eyes wide open looking at his closed eyes. 

Charr must have sensed my state of shock as he pulled his face away a few inches, still not letting go of me. I could still feel his warm breath running over my lips. When he finally opened his eyes and noticed the look on my face, he took a half step back, dropping his hands to his sides. We stood there, staring at each other, for a few moments before he broke the silence.

"Sarasheem… say something…" he begged. Isao flew to sit on his shoulder to comfort him. Though the little dragon seemed confused as to why its master was upset and in need of comforting.

My emotions were so all over the place that I couldn't say anything. My mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. I felt happy that someone saw me and actually had feelings for me. I felt guilty for betraying Kirito, even though we weren't ever together in that way. I hadn't even seen or heard from Kirito since June. He stopped joining the assault team after joining his new guild. So was it really betraying him to fall for someone else… 

"Sarasheem. Please say something. Anything. Even a punch in the face would be better than nothing." Charr pleaded with me. I saw that his eyes were shinier than normal, from tears maybe?

"I… I don't know. With Kirito… and then this? I don't know what to say or how I feel." I felt my heart breaking again, is how I truly felt. But I couldn’t tell Charr that, I couldn’t hurt this man the way Kirito unknowingly hurt me.

I finally realized that after all this time, Charr and I had steadily grown closer than just friends. He was there when I needed a shoulder to cry out my heartache over Kirito. He built me back up and made sure I took care of myself and didn't end up in a black hole of depression. He fell for me even though he knew of my feelings for my old partner. 

I didn't want to hurt Charr. But at the same time, I still had feelings for the black swordsman. I was caught up in a love triangle, and I had no idea which to choose. The Black Swordsman that didn’t see me as more than his backup, or the Red Dragon Tamer that saw all of me and liked what he saw? 

"I figured you still had love for Kirito. Either one you choose, I would have no hard feelings. I'm still your friend, even if you end up picking boy wonder. Oh and Merry Christmas, Sarasheem." Charr gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and walked to the teleport platform to go back to his room in Tolbana. 

I was still standing where Charr left me when the clock struck midnight on Christmas Day. After another five minutes of staring off at nothing, I had a chat window pop up in my face. I figured it would be from Charr, but I was shocked to find out it was actually from Kirito. The person I hadn’t heard from for about six months. It had one word in the message:

Help.


	18. Chapter 18

Bang, bang, bang. I pounded on the door to my best friend's room. A moment later the door swung open to reveal a bedraggled Kirito with tear tracks down his face. I immediately noticed his guild icon wasn’t there like it should be.

"Sarasheem… you came. I-I didn't think you would actually answer…" His voice broke and he hiccuped back a sob.

I grabbed his hand and led him back into the room to sit on his bed. His face was pale and gaunt, as if he hadn't eaten or slept in weeks. His hair was a mess and he was as weak as a newborn kitten and didn't put up a fight when I dragged his head to my chest to comfort him. He didn’t even blush like he usually would in this position.

Something terrible must have happened for Kirito to be this out of sorts. He wasn’t this bad when Diavel died, and that was the lowest I had ever seen him. I wondered if his guild found out about him being a beater and kicked him out, but that would more anger the black-eyed boy than cause him to become so distraught. Which led me to believe that something happened to his guild and he was the sole survivor.

"What happened, Kirito? Where are the Moonlit Black Cats?" I asked him, soothingly rubbing up and down his back. Kirito wrapped his arms around my waist and sobbed harder into my breastplate. I quickly pulled up my menu to change into my street clothes, making it more comfortable for both of us. It’s hard to get true comfort from someone clad in metal armor. 

"It's all my fault. Sachi and them… they're all dead and it's all my fault." My black-haired friend choked out between sobs.

"Come, lay down and rest. I will be here when you wake up. So don't worry. Sleep and we can talk about it in the morning." I laid down with Kirito still curled around me with his head over my heart. 

I quietly sang one of my favorite songs that I felt fit the situation perfectly. 

"Come, stop your crying, it will be alright.  
Just take my hand, hold it tight.   
I will protect you from all around you.  
I will be here don't you cry.  
For one so small you seem so strong.  
My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm.  
This bond between us, can't be broken.  
I will be here, don't you cry."

Kirito's sobbing quieted down, but I knew he was still awake, listening to the song. My singing wasn't the greatest, but at least it was calming him. So I kept going:

"Cuz you'll be in my heart.  
Yes, you'll be in my heart.  
From this day on, now and forever more.  
You'll be in my heart.  
No matter or what they say.  
You'll be here in my heart,  
Always."

Kirito snuggled into my chest and pulled me a little tighter, as if he understood the song and my reason for singing it. Though I had no idea if he actually knew what I was singing as it was in English, from an American movie I loved as a child. The movie was actually from when my parents were children. 

"Why can't they understand the way we feel.  
They just don't trust, what they can't explain.  
I know you’re different, but deep inside us,  
We're not that different at all."

His breathing finally started to even out and he was finally falling asleep. To make sure the sudden quiet didn't wake him, I softly sang the rest of the song. Even though it usually was a more up-beat part of the song, I sang it with the same beat as the beginning.

"Don't listen to them, cuz what do they know?  
We need each other, to have, to hold.  
They'll see in time.  
I know.  
When destiny calls you, you must be strong.  
I may not be with you, but you got to hold on.  
They'll see in time.  
I know, we’ll show them together.  
Cuz you'll be in my heart.  
Believe me you'll be in my heart.  
From this day on, now and forever more."

Without realizing it, I found myself running my fingers through Kirito's black locks. He was snoring softly, his whole body now relaxed in sleep. He looked so peaceful, like a small boy without a care in the world. He reminded me of the Kirito that I had met in the beta, so innocent and sweet.

It had been so long since I'd seen him, and even longer since we shared a room like this. I missed the nights we used to stay up and strategize before we eventually passed out, sharing the bed. For a while he would be so red with embarrassment when he would wake up to find himself spooning me. He never knew that I would, secretly, snuggle into him when he would pull me to his chest in his sleep. I always enjoyed those moments, and I missed them terribly.

Thinking of the intimate moments like these between Kirito and I reminded me of the kiss with Charr a few hours ago. I felt my face heat up the instant I remembered. I could still feel the heat of his lips and his hand on my cheek. I also couldn't help but imagine what a kiss with Kirito would feel like.

I spent the rest of my sleepless night soothing Kirito whenever he stirred and wondering what to do about the love triangle I found myself in. 

On one hand, Charr actually saw me as more than a friend. He and I have become great partners, and could make an excellent battle pair. It wasn't instinctual, like with Kirito where he and I knew what the other was going to do, but that could change with time. 

On the other hand was Kirito, my best friend and my first crush. But Kirito only saw me as a battle partner. He didn't see me as potential girlfriend material. He and I knew what the other would do or say, as if we shared the same thoughts. We had fought together everyday for so long, almost a full year of the year and a half since the beta of SA:O was released, that it would have been crazy if we couldn’t practically read each other's mind in battle.

I could see myself dating either of them, honestly. But did I want to waste my time pining after a boy, who wouldn't see me the same way? Or give up on any chance with Kirito and move on with Charr? I guess the only way to answer these questions would be to tell Kirito how I felt. I would never know otherwise. Hopefully, he would still want to party up for the boss fights.

The first rays of dawn started slowly peeking their way through the curtains. I must have dozed off for only a couple hours when Kirito started to stir. Sometime after I had drifted into a light sleep, Kirito had slung one of his legs over my own. 

Pulling myself out of my light sleep, I met his black eyes with my blue ones. His eyes were wide with shock, as if he didn’t expect me to be there.

"Sarasheem… you're really here. I thought it was a dream…" Kirito's hoarse voice croaked out. His eyes started to shimmer again with tears, but he held them back this time.

"You needed me. No matter what happens between us, I'll always be there for you when you ask for my help." Kirito slowly untangled himself from me and sat up against the headboard of the bed, hugging his knees to his chest. "Now tell me, what happened?" I cooed as I sat next to him, our shoulders touching. I took his hand in mine to give him something to ground him as he started to speak.

"It happened in June. The leader of the Black Cats went to buy a house for the guild on the first floor. We decided to go earn more Col for furniture and such to surprise the leader when he got back. 

"We went to a dungeon on the 30th floor, as that's the highest floor we had been on. I was still twenty levels above them, so I wasn't worried about covering them if something happened. How arrogant I was…

"We found a hidden room with a chest. Before I could Search the chest to see if it was a trap, one of the guild members tried opening it. Turns out, my hunch was correct. We were swarmed by golems and gnomes." Kirito started to tremble, as if he were reliving the memory of watching his guildmates die again.

"Sachi was the last to fall. She said something before she died. This whole time I thought she was condemning me for killing her, but last night I got a time release capsule from our shared inventory." His tears started falling again. I moved to kneel in front of him and cradled his head with my hands on his cheeks to wipe them away, but he didn't even see me. He was too wrapped up in reliving this nightmare to see anything else. The pain and heartache he had gone through, taking him to a different place.

"She sang me Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. She told me she didn't blame me if she died, and thanked me for giving her hope and the courage to keep going. 

"I killed her with my arrogance, Sarasheem. It's my fault they are all dead. First Diavel, now my whole guild. I'm a curse, everyone I touch in this place dies." He finally met my eyes, no longer lost in his pain.

"You and I had been fighting together for how long? I'm still here, I'm still alive. You aren't a curse. Bad things happen, so many people have lost their lives to this game. If there's anyone to blame, its Kayaba. He is the only one responsible for everyone who has died in this death world. 

"Obviously Sachi didn't blame you. It sounds like she enjoyed her last days fighting, instead of being scared of dying. If anything, you gave her a reason to keep living. What happened to the leader of the guild? And, if this happened in June, why did you wait so long to ask for my help?" I asked uncertain. I wasn't sure if he would actually answer, but I asked anyways.

“Last night, I went to find the special event boss: Nicholas the Renegade. He was supposed to have a revival item, I was going to use it for Sachi, but it turns out that it had to be used within ten seconds of the player dying." He chuckled sarcastically before continuing, “After getting Sachi’s message and the failure with the revival item, I couldn’t take being alone anymore. So, I messaged the one person I hoped I could still turn to.

“Oh, after I told the leader of the guild everything that happened he threw himself off the edge of Yousaga's teleport platform. You know, one of the few places at the edge of Aincrad you can jump off and commit suicide. He was so distraught about his whole friend group dying that he couldn't handle it. I should have followed him…" He trailed off. 

Slap. My hand left a red handprint on his cheek. Kirito's eyes widened, "wha- what was that for?" He yelled in shock while rubbing his stinging cheek. I did notice a little life come back to his eyes with my slap.

"For saying you should have killed yourself. How would Sachi feel if she knew you committed suicide? How would I have been able to cope with my best friend dying? We may not have been partnered up, mostly because of me, but that didn’t mean I didn’t care about you! You have people who love you here!" I exclaimed. 

Now my cheeks were wet with tears. I couldn’t believe Kirito suffered alone like this for all of these months. I was riddled with guilt over my stupidity of letting my anger and jealousy get so out of hand that I ignored him for almost a year. He needed me, and I turned my back on him. What kind of friend was I? I didn’t even message him after not receiving a message since June. I should have known that something happened when the messages stopped altogether. 

"Love?" Kirito scoffed. "Who could love me? A beater, the guy who gets people killed." He spoke softly, turning to look out the window at the now bright morning.

"I… I could… I do…" I stuttered, shifting my gaze to my hands in my lap. I felt the heat blush my cheeks with the revelation of my feelings for the black swordsman in front of me. I could feel the movement of Kirito's head jerking to look at me, but I still didn't look up to meet his gaze.

"Sarasheem… Are you saying… what I think you're saying…?" Kirito asked me, gently lifting my chin with his finger to look into his dark eyes, again. Both sets of eyes were as round as dinner plates, searching for the answers neither was sure the other was willing to speak.

"Yes… I've been in love with you since we beat Illfang on floor one." I whispered softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: You'll Be in My Heart by Phil Collins. The movie is Disney's Tarzan.


	19. Chapter 19

Well there it was. I finally managed to grow a pair and tell Kirito how I feel. Only to be met with silence. 

After a pause that felt like hours, but must have only lasted a few minutes, I looked up to see a blank look on Kirito's face. No other expression could be discerned at the moment. Not shock, embarrassment, anger, just... nothing. 

"Well… I guess that's that. Merry Christmas, Kirito…" and with that, I bolted from the room. It seemed like now all I did was run from my problems. I ran from him after our fight eight months ago, I practically ran from Charr when he confessed to me last night, and now I'm running from Kirito, again. 

I had just walked out of the inn when I heard him call for me, just like he did eight months ago. But this time, I stopped when I heard his voice. I couldn’t continue my cowardice anymore. It’s time I faced the music, whether it be good or bad. Just like Charr.

"Wait! Sarasheem, don't go!" I felt a tug on my hand. He spun me around to face him and I noticed he had his stone-faced mask on to hide his feelings. I couldn't believe he would hide them from me, his best friend. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part that we were still friends. He definitely didn’t feel the same way if he was refusing to show his emotions.

"Stay… Please." His voice cracked, but still no emotions showed on his face. That damned mask was still hiding them.

"Why? Why are you hiding everything from me now? You are my best friend, and now you're hiding your emotions from me. Do I mean nothing to you now? I tell you how I feel about you, and you don't even respond. Damnit, I'm such an idiot!" 

I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. I briefly wondered if this is how Charr felt last night after he kissed me. If that was the case, karma was a lovely bitch.

Suddenly, there was a hand cupping my cheek and wiping away my tears. Before I could open my eyes, I felt the pressure of lips against mine.

My second kiss, ever, was a clumsy one. Full of desperation and emotion. I could tell neither of us had much experience in kissing, and it showed every time teeth clashed against teeth. But that didn't stop us from continuing the kiss. 

From the moment our lips touched, to every time our lips moved against the other's, I felt fire and lightning coursing through my body. Zinging from my lips to my toes and back. None of this happened when Charr kissed me last night. 

When Kirito and I parted, panting and out of breath, I found my hands had worked up his arms to wrap themselves around his neck with one of my hands buried in his soft black hair. I could still feel a tingling sensation on my bruised lips from the kiss.

"Did you ever think, I might have felt the same way?" I heard a husky chuckle come from his throat. His hand was still on my cheek, softly rubbing small circles, while his other hand had circled my waist to pull me closer. He rested his forehead against mine, still gazing deeply into my blue eyes with his black ones.

Kirito and I had hugged many times, but I had never felt as close to him as I did right now. I couldn't help but lean in for a second kiss with the black swordsman. 

Unlike our first kiss, this one was slower. Exploratory. Testing and learning to see how the other would respond. This one was more of a slow burn with small shocks rather than the raging fire and lightning from our first desperate kiss. 

Someone nearby whistled while another called for us to get a room. We jumped apart, forgetting that we were in public, and chuckled at the inappropriate position we found ourselves in. 

I took hold of Kirito's hand and dragged him back to his room at the inn. We really needed to have a talk about where this put us and where we wished for this to go from here. Also the fact that we knew practically nothing about each other outside of SA:O. 

As soon as the door closed behind him, Kirito had backed me up against it, kissing me passionately. The roaring fire was back, along with the bolts of lightning heating up my veins. I had to pull away to breathe, once again, and put a hand over his mouth to stop him from going in for round three. He was breathing heavily and a look of confusion was in his eyes. I was grateful that he dropped his mask of indifference with me so I could now read his expressions.

"We need to talk about us. This is all well and good, but a little bird reminded me that we don't know much about each other outside of SA:O. For example, what is your real name? Where are you from? Who are you really outside of the black swordsman?" I asked him in rapid fire. 

"I guess you got a point there." He sighed before continuing. "My real name is Kazuto Kirigaya. I live in Saitama prefecture, more specifically Kawagoe. I was about to start my first year of high school when the beta ended and this world started. 

"As for who I am outside of the game? I'm a nobody. Just a lonely kid, living a lonely life. I have my sister, who is really my cousin, and my parent works all the time. No after school clubs, no friends, no one." He finished forlornly before sitting on the side of his bed.

I followed to sit beside him. "Sounds like my life. We must be about the same age then as I was also starting high school after the beta ended. My full name is Sarah Silva and I live in Kawasaki, Kanagawa. 

"You already know I'm originally from the United States, hence my accent and odd looks." I gestured to my cinnamon-colored hair and blue eyes, "And that I moved to Japan when I was eleven. I was bullied mercilessly for it, also for my 'unsightly' scar. So no friends here either. Must be why we got along so well." I laughed sarcastically. 

"Wait, Kirigaya… why does that name sound familiar?" I mumbled to myself thinking, "Oh! You wouldn't happen to be related to a Suguha Kirigaya, would you?" I glanced at Kirito with a finger on my chin, thinking.

"That's my sister. How do you know her?" His shoulders slumped, as if knowing his sister would make me think less of him.

"The only club activity I did in school was kendo. I just stopped last year because the bullying got out of hand. Something about 'barbaric Americans.' She was always one of the tops in tournaments. She was always nice to me, even though I was an American in a Japanese sport. Must run in the family." I nudged Kirito's shoulder affectionately. 

I couldn't believe Suguha and Kirito, no Kazuto, were related. She was so outgoing and excitable. Kazuto is more like me, shy and mellow until you get to know him. 

"My next question is, where does this leave us? Do we want to continue with whatever this," I gestured between us, "is? Or would it be too weird for you? You know how I feel. But you still haven't told me if you felt the same way…" I stared down at my hands in my lap. I was too embarrassed to look at him.

"I thought it was kind of obvious how I felt when I kissed you. I'm not sure when it started, but I realized when you left how I had fallen for you. It's why I kept trying to get you to join me with the guild. It killed me being apart from you." I watched a black gloved hand reach to take one of mine, twining our fingers together.

"I'm sorry." Was all I could think of responding. 

"As for where we go with us, how about we start with getting to know each other better? By the way, what was that song you sang to me last night? It was pretty." Kazuto had a red tint to his cheeks.

"Oh, that." I giggled. "That song was from a Disney movie that my parents used to watch as kids. I don't think I could do the song justice in Japanese." 

"It's okay. I liked it. Maybe you can translate it to me someday. I'd love to know the meaning behind the words, if there was one?" He gave me a quizzical look.

"You have no idea." I mumbled to myself under my breath. I squeezed Kazuto's hand that was still resting in my lap. I leapt to my feet and pulled him up beside me. "Let's go train! You've been away from the front lines for too long. Your level is lacking and we've gotta beef it up!" I kissed his cheek and opened my menu to armor up.

I turned around to find Kazuto now had a new blade along with a new cloak. Of course, in black. Covering the shoulders was a dark blue leather guard with silver studs covering it. This cloak was open to reveal a gold breastplate with a crescent moon design, a black shirt, and black slacks. On his back was a black scabbard that held his black blade with the same crescent moon on the hilt. Finishing the outfit was black fingerless gloves and heavyweight black boots with a silver buckle and spurs.

"Well Kirigaya, it looks like I'm not the only one with new gear." I chuckled looking Kazuto over, impressed.

"I figured we've known each other long enough that you can call me by my first name. Or Kirito, whichever you prefer." That red tint returned to his cheeks.

"Okay, Kazuto. Man that's going to take a while to get used to." My cheeks felt hot with the blush that graced them.

Since the last time I saw Kazuto, eight months ago, my armor completely changed. I still sported my favorite blue color, just in a different style. 

Instead of the bulky armor that shield users typically wear, that covers practically every inch of the player, I wore a lighter style that gave me more movement and speed. My chest plate covered only my breasts and my shoulder blades. I had armor on my shoulders that went down my upper arms along with a similar piece that covered my hips and outer thighs. Gracing my waist was a blue belt with silver chainmail that covered my backside and front in a skirt that went to just above my knees. Knee pads and shin guards covered their respective areas in a dark blue metal. The rest of my body was covered by a light blue long-sleeved shirt and leggings. Blue and silver gauntlets covered my hands and forearms. I had a helmet, but I hated wearing the damn thing, it made it so hard to see properly.

My blade: Lightning's Breath was a dark blue menace with a silver edging, spitting blue sparks every thirty seconds. Paired with Sapphire Sphere, my buckler, that stood from my shoulders to my hips, in my favorite azure blue with sapphire gems dotting it in a circular shape. This shield gave me a barrier, hence the "sphere," that prevented heavy hits for ten seconds. But it had a two minute cooldown period.

"Wow." Was all that came from my partner's mouth. I looked back into his eyes to see they were wide open in shock. When his gaze returned to mine, his cheeks heated up in another blush. Seemed like today he was blushing more than ever. 

"Yeah I've been working on my speed skill lately. It's better to dodge attacks than to try and tank them. Especially since these later bosses are faster and tend to have multi-hit attacks." I tapped the toe of my boot on the floor anxiously.

"I like it. Never thought you'd willingly wear a skirt though. It's... cute." Kazuto smirked until I punched his arm in mock anger. "Well if I'm gonna catch up to your level, we better get going!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any places or landmarks are entirely coincidental. I did some research (on google maps) into places in Japan that I feel the characters could live, but I don't live there so I am not 100% sure about anything.


	20. Chapter 20

“Hey Azure Knight! I see you’ve gotten back together with your trusty sidekick, the Black Swordsman.” A blonde headed Stark bounced over. Was that kid ever not happy?

I had finally gotten Kirito to agree to party up with more than just me with clearing the floors. We had gotten into too many sticky situations that we almost didn't walk away from. We even had to run away from a mid-level boss on the last floor due to it being twenty levels above us. No matter how strong Kirito and I got together, there's only so much the two of us can handle before we put ourselves into unnecessary danger.

So I had recruited Stark and Charr to join us. Having a party this big meant we could get Kirito's level up higher by bussing him (when a low level character joins a party of high level characters to level up faster). It doesn't hurt to have more than one person watching your back in a fight, also.

We didn't have enough people to create a guild with the four of us, as a guild needed seven players in order to be formed. Agil had already joined a merchant guild and Asuna had joined the Knights of the Blood Oath, the red and white guild that generally runs the boss raids. She has a nickname now, the Lightning Flash due to her speed with her rapier. I'm glad she found her own niche in this hellhole, it means she will be safer on the frontlines.

Plus, now I don't have to worry about her and Kirito since he and I started dating. 

Charr, on the other hand, has since backed off in his pursuit of me. The day after I confessed to Kirito, I had to tell Charr. I couldn’t continue to lead him on, it wasn’t fair nor was it right. I love Charr as a friend, and thankfully he understood that. He had told me that it wouldn’t ruin our friendship, and that he would still be there for me if I needed him.

And now here we are, partying to clear the 47th floor. Players are calling it the floor of flowers because there isn’t a spot on the whole floor where a flower isn’t present. Even the monsters are Venus Flytraps and such. This floor would be a botanist’s paradise. Or a romantic’s wet dream.

“Help! Someone please help me avenge my guild mates! I’ll give you everything I have! Please help me!” A young boy called out from the town’s center. 

Everyone passed him by, ignoring him. My heart ached to help him, so I looked to my gathered party members pleadingly. Charr and Kirito both sighed in resignation while Stark jumped up and followed me over to the boy.

“What is your name? And how can we help?” Stark grabbed the boy by the shoulders and lead him over to the table our other party members occupied. I pulled out my seat for him and crouched down to the boy's eye level.

The boy couldn’t have been older than thirteen, about four years younger than Kirito and I. He felt familiar, so I assumed he was one of the kids that had gone through the boot camp that we ran on floor one. He had probably created a party with his training mates after defeating Illfang.

“Ah, Sensei! It’s good to see you again! I don’t know if you remember me, but you trained me and my party through the floor one boss!” The boy bowed to Charr.

“Ritsu, right? You were one of my first training groups. What happened to NagisaKiller, QweenBee, and Bentoboi?” The dragon tamer asked.

“That’s why I am up this high, Sensei. A guild called Titan’s Hand are attacking and killing players for their Col and items. They attacked us, and the rest of our guild. I am the only survivor, but that’s because I had gotten into a fight with NagisaKiller and stormed off back to town. When I returned to the guild, I watched Titan’s Hand killing NagisaKiller and stealing all of their stuff. So with what was left in the guild storage, I started going to all the higher floor towns to try and hire someone to take down Titan’s Hand.” Tears were streaming down Ritsu’s face. 

“You and NagisaKiller never could get along. I am sorry to hear about your guild. We will help in anyway we can, but you have to promise me one thing.” With a nod from Ritsu Charr continued, “You have to promise me that you will keep fighting. Don’t let your guildmates die in vain. Continue to cherish their memories by staying alive. Even NagisaKiller wouldn’t want to see you dead.” A single tear fell from Charr’s eye. It hurt him to know that all of the training he put in this group of players were outdone by player killers. 

When I looked to the rest of my party, I saw rage from Kirito and tear tracks on Stark’s cheeks. My face was probably a mix of both, because I know I cried a few tears for the young boy but couldn’t help the unfathomable anger I felt at Titan’s Hand. How dare they hurt lower level players just so they could collect more Col and items. Instead of putting themselves on the line to get these items, they dared to kill others? Titan’s Hand would regret the day they crossed paths with Bruiser and co.

“Do you know where to find the guild that killed your friends?” I asked in a choked voice. I was shaking with anger and held back tears.

“They attacked us on floor 32, but I know they were much higher levels to be down so low. Other than that, I don’t have any information other than their leader is a green player called Rosalia.” He answered, with shoulders hunched.

“Okay. That should be a start. We will go from there to bring justice to your friends. I promise.” I rubbed Ritsu’s shoulder. 

“Before you go, I bought this so they can go to the jail that The Army has set up for orange players. Killing each other isn’t the answer, they should be in jail for what they’ve done.” Ritsu handed Stark a teleportation crystal.

We left Ritsu at the cafe in Floria and made our way down to floor 32, the last place he had seen Titan’s Hand. We started asking other players if they knew of anything in regards to Rosalia or any other player killer guilds. When we came up with nothing, we decided to split up the party.

Obviously, I went with Kazuto to wander the local dungeons and forests to see if we could catch them in the act. Stark and Charr stayed in the main town to keep asking the other players for more information.

Deep in the forest, Kazuto and I heard voices. With a glance and a nod, we quietly crept closer to listen into their conversation.

“That pipsqueak is going to get herself killed. Her and that little lizard she calls a dragon. If she does make it out of the forest on her own, I’ll be surprised. But that lizard isn’t going to make it out alive. She will have to find a way to that rare item from the Hill of Memories, the Pneumia Flower on floor 47, to get her dragon back. And when she does, we’re gonna strike her down and steal it.” A female voice cackled. Kirito and I looked at each other in surprise.

I jerked my thumb to tell him to go save the girl while I stayed behind to listen further. Kirito was a high enough level that he shouldn’t have a problem beating the Drunken Apes that inhabit the forest. So I had no worries that he could handle it, hopefully he got to her before the Apes did.

“Rosalia, that’s the best idea you’ve ever had! Oh that flower is going to make us so much money! I can almost taste it!” The speaker made a wet sound. I shivered at how sick in the head these people are. 

“That is the reason why I am the leader of this guild. I come up with all the plans that make us rich.” The female, Rosalia, laughed again. “Alright, I have to catch up with that group of idiots I partied with before they notice I’ve been gone for too long. They have some items with my name on it.” Rosalia got up and left the group.

I debated on rounding up the guild right now, but if I did that, Rosalia would know and we would lose our chance at taking this guild down once and for all. And I didn’t know if this was the whole guild or not. I did know, however, that they were planning on meeting up with the rest of their guild on floor 47. Probably to catch someone coming out of there with that rare item.

K,  
I found Titan’s Hand. They are planning on meeting the leader on floor 47 to attack someone coming out of Hill of Memories. They are looking for rare item that revives beasts that have been tamed. I will continue to follow the guild to make sure we get everyone in one lump sum.  
S

I sent a similar message to Charr, knowing he would pass it off to Stark. With my messages sent off, I prepared myself for a long night of watching and listening.

Ding 

A message from Kazuto popped up in front of me. He found the girl that Titan's Hand was talking about. And just like they predicted, her dragon had perished in the forest. Luckily Kazuto got there before the Drunken Apes killed her too.

He was going to take her to the rare flower so she could resurrect her dragon. They were also being watched by someone, probably another member of Titan’s Hand. Rosalia was still currently with her party somewhere, but I had a feeling she was going to be there to intercept Kazuto and the girl dragon tamer.

The plan has been made. Kazuto was taking the girl to the Pneumia Flower and then back to town to revive the dragon, Charr and Stark were to be his backup, and I am to follow Titan’s Hand until they make their move on Kazuto. All in all, it was a great plan. It meant that we would have all the members in the same place at the same time. And if they were about the same level as Rosalia, in the 40s, we wouldn’t have a problem taking them down with our party at level 75 or so. Well Kazuto was a little lower at 68, hence why we formed a bussing party in the first place.

It took the better part of a day, but eventually Kazuto and the girl tamer made their way to a bridge on the outskirts of Floria Town. This is where Titan’s Hand planned to make their move. And it was a hilarious outcome.

After Kazuto pushed the girl towards Stark and Charr for her safety, the guild went after Kazuto with everything they had, and failed. Big time. He didn’t even raise a finger to defend himself. I couldn’t help but laugh as I walked out of the treeline behind where the guild had been hiding. I leaned my shoulder against a tree not too far from where Rosalia stood and crossed one ankle over the other.

“And who the hell are you?” Rosario screamed in rage. She pulled her tri-tipped spear from her back and aimed it in my direction.

Kazuto sped over to hover his blade at her neck. He was so fast that if you blinked you would have missed his movement. One minute he was in the middle of the bridge, and the next he had his sword pressed to Rosalia’s throat, the spurs on his boots spinning. “I don’t quite like you pulling a weapon on my girlfriend.” He grinned evilly. “I don’t mind becoming a yellow player for a few days if it means protecting the ones I love.” Rosalia started trembling.

“Rosalia, do you know who these two are? It’s the Black Swordsman and Azure Knight! The beaters! They call them Bruiser cuz they look like a bruise when fighting. Oh we really messed up this time!” One of the boys from Titan’s Hand yelled as he tried to back his way across the bridge, to attempt an escape would be my guess.

“Seems the nickname is still being used, even after your time apart.” Charr said with arms crossed over his chest. He and Stark were standing at the other end of the bridge with the young girl behind them, preventing the members of Titan’s Hand from escaping along with keeping her safe.

Poor girl. She looked terrified. Her light brown pig-tails were trembling from the crown of her head. Gripped in her hands was a small dagger, her only weapon. Not many people went around carrying only a dagger, as you had to be practically on top of the enemy to use it. She had to have all her skill points in speed in order to carry one and not die. Unless she partnered with someone who tanked and drew aggro in battles.

Rosalia screeched and stomped her foot when she realized she and her guild weren’t getting away with the Pneumia Flower. But that didn’t mean she and her guild were leaving here the way they came in.

“You have to be wondering why we are here, Rosalia. See, I’ve got this teleportation crystal that’s gonna take you all to the jail that the Army oversees. It’s where you and your guild are gonna spend the rest of their days until we’re all freed of this world.” Kazuto held up the crystal Ritsu bought.

“You know that guild you took out last week? Well one of them survived. And with every last bit of Col he had, he bought that crystal. He didn’t want you guys killed. He wanted you to go to jail. He wanted you to pay for your sins against all of the players you’ve killed.” I smirked. I noticed that the other members of Titan’s Hand were trembling at our announcement. Rosalia was down-right shaking as she dropped her spear to the ground.

“We don’t even know if people actually die IRL if they die in here. There’s no proof that all those players really died!” Rosalia’s lips trembled as she attempted to defend herself.

“Oh is that right? Well you wouldn’t mind testing that theory, would you? How about I kill you here, and we will see if you open your eyes here or in hell?” Kirito whispered in her ear.

“Don’t kill me! I don’t wanna die!” Rosalia bawled and fell to her knees, defeated.

“Funny how you never gave all those players you’ve killed the same chance. But no worries, Kirito won’t kill you. We will let the authorities decide your fate in the real world.” I straightened up. “Alright Titan’s Hand. Time to go to your new home. Now play nice, you hear?” I said as they all got to their knees and laid their weapons on the ground.


	21. Chapter 21

After Titan's Hand had been arrested, our party took the girl, Silica her name was, back to Floria. Kazuto and I apologized profusely for putting her in danger in order to catch Titan's Hand. Luckily she understood and even thanked Kazuto for helping her get her dragon, Piña, back. 

After the long couple of days we had, our party retired to their rooms. Kazuto and I had decided to share a room that night, like we used to when we first partnered up on the first few floors after Kayaba's announcement of this death game. Though now that we were dating, we could cuddle without the embarrassment.

Snuggled up with my head on Kazuto's chest and his hand running through my hair, I was content. A feeling I hadn't felt in a long time, not since before he joined the Moonlit Black Cats. My eyes closed and I started to drift, sleep creeping up on me like an animal stalking its prey.

"Holy shit!" My human pillow suddenly disappeared and my head plopped on the mattress. I let out a disgruntled noise and glared sleepily up at Kazuto. 

"You have to see this. Look! I've got a new skill! One that wasn't in the beta nor is it in Argo's book!" He pointed to his skills menu. I sat up to get a better look, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

And there it was. Dual Wield. The ability to wield a one-handed sword in each hand. I had never heard of this skill in this game. Many other games allow it, but I never thought SA:O would be one of them. Not many people only wielded a one-handed sword unless it was a rapier or they equipped a shield in the other hand. Like Asuna and I respectively. 

My jaw dropped and I hugged Kazuto around the chest in excitement. "Oh Kazuto! I'm so proud of you! You've discovered an original skill! A skill no one else has!" I kissed him on the cheek.

"Is that all the reward I get? Just a kiss on the cheek? I unlock an original skill and that's my only reward? That doesn't seem fair." Kazuto mock pouted, with a tint of red to his cheeks. 

I giggled, dragging my hands from his back up the front of his chest to clasp behind his neck. I could hear and feel his breathing coming faster, waiting for my lips to reach his. The blush on his cheeks deepened and spread all the way to the tops of his ears. I watched as his black eyes roved over my face, only to stop at my parted lips.

I stopped when only an inch separated our lips. I could feel his warm breath fanning over my mouth, waiting for me to close that small gap. "Is this the kind of reward you were hoping for? Or should I stop right here?"

Kazuto growled. He slammed his lips against mine in answer. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer, and my fingers tangled in his black hair. I let out a small whimper at the heat of the kiss.

My heart was trying to beat out of my chest. I could hear the pounding in my ears, and nothing else. Lightning raced from my lips to my toes with every movement of our lips, leaving behind a burning in my veins. 

I felt a slight pull on my hips with Kazuto leaning into the kiss more, pushing me to lie back on the mattress beneath me. 

Eventually I ran out of breath, and had to break away from the kiss. Kazuto was hovering over me, breathing equally as hard as I was, and straddling one of my legs. His hands had moved from my waist to the mattress by my ribs in order to hold himself above me. 

When I opened my blue eyes, I found two black ones gazing lovingly at me. "I love you, Kazuto." The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. 

Kazuto's eyes widened in shock. While we had been getting even closer these last few months, learning about each other’s lives outside of SA:O, we hadn't said those three little words to each other yet. Yes, we told each other of our feelings that fateful Christmas Day a few months ago, but we hadn't really spoken much of it since. We became too preoccupied with helping out the assault team and getting Kazuto’s level back up.

"I… I love you too, Sarah." Kazuto smiled hesitantly. I could see the happiness in his eyes from my declaration. I loved this look on his face, the absolute joy that he only showed to me. To everyone else he was the steely black swordsman, the beater, to be feared by all. But to me, he is Kazuto. Secret technology geek with a sensitive heart that only I get to see.

Trembling slightly, Kazuto leaned down for another kiss. This kiss was slow and gentle, but by no means less passionate. We put every ounce of the love we felt for each other in that kiss. Once again, we had to break apart to come back up for air. 

“I can’t wait until we can do this IRL.” Kazuto whispered as he dragged his lips against mine. 

Another chaste kiss later, Kazuto attempted to resume his earlier position on the bed. No longer content with this, I pulled him to face me. He raised his brow in an unasked question. I scooted closer to him and buried my face into the hollow between his neck and shoulder. 

Chuckling, Kazuto draped his hand over my waist and pulled my body flush against him. I could feel his warm breath on the crown of my head. 

I wished this moment would never end. I also wished this was happening in the real world. I wanted to feel Kazuto's warmth, bury my face in his scent. Hopefully soon, we can clear this game so we can be together, for real.

Barely a week had gone by since Kazuto and I said those three words to each other. Now, we were even more inseparable. Back to always sharing a room whenever we needed to sleep or just wanted to take a break from leveling up and the assault team. 

We still partied up with Charr and Stark when one set needed help with a mid-level boss, along with every floor boss fight, we usually have Agil and whoever he brings to the party for those. I couldn’t help but notice that everytime we made a party with Charr and Stark, Kazuto became quiet and even more broody than usual. It was as if he wasn’t comfortable with partying with them anymore, but I couldn’t figure out why. Whenever I mentioned it, Kazuto would either blow me off or try to convince me nothing was wrong.

We don’t see Asuna much these days. She’s been pretty busy since joining the Knights of the Blood Oath, and even more so since she was promoted to second in command. I’m just glad she found a guild that respects her and she enjoys being a part of. The KBO tends to lead the floor boss raids, they are quite good at coming up with battle strategy. 

Currently, we were relaxing in a field of flowers, waiting for the mid-level boss to respawn. This was a great spot to level up when we weren’t out looking for the boss room. Charr and Stark were sparring not too far away, both wielding two-handed swords. 

Ping

A message popped up. It was from one of the instructors that we used to work with on floor one, Alastairius. He wanted the group to get together for a concert happening in a few days at the Tolbana Amphitheatre. 

"Yo, Charr! Check your messages! Alastairius wants to get the gang together for a concert!" I yelled over to the red-eyed twenty-year old. 

I looked to my right with a questioning look. Kazuto stared blankly at me, confused. "Do you wanna go with us?" I rolled my eyes at him. If he can't read my expressions by now, we got issues. I chuckled in my head.

"Is… is that such a good idea? I mean… we are kind of infamous. Or atleast I am." He plucked a blade of grass from the ground, refusing to meet my eyes.

"Don't worry about that. We got your back. I just messaged Agil and he said he's gonna be there too. And if anyone can get people to back off, it's that guy." Charr laughed as he plopped down next to me. Stark remained standing, leaning on his two-handed sword he was using to spar with.

Kazuto gave Charr a speculative glance. "I guess." He didn't sound convinced as he went back to worrying the blade of grass between his fingers.

I felt a bump on my left shoulder. Charr had a brow raised and mouthed: He doesn't know? I just shrugged back. He'll find out soon enough. We tended to not talk about the time we spent apart last year.

"Come on, Kirito! It's gonna be so fun! The band playing is really good! They worked really hard to get their instrument levels maxed out!" Stark piped up from his perch on his sword. 

"Fine! I'll go! Do they even have a name?" Kazuto asked, exasperated. 

Charr and I looked at eachother, chuckling. "I believe their name was Blades of Blood." Charr answered. "They play a lot of anime music. An american song here and there-oof!" I had elbowed Charr in the ribs to get him to shut up before he ruined the surprise. 

Luckily, Kazuto wasn't paying enough attention to see it. He was still staring at the blade of grass in his hands, twiddling it between his fingers. 

I leaned my head onto his shoulder and rested my hand on the inside of his forearm. "What's wrong? Do you really not want to go?" 

"It.. it's not that. It's just… will I be welcome to? You're more liked. Especially since you helped train all those newer players. I'm still just a beater in most of their eyes." Kazuto sighed. He leaned his head against mine, nuzzling as if he was seeking comfort. After a moment, I could feel his shoulders start to relax with a sigh.

"Like Charr said, we will all be there. Along with Agil. No one would dare block you from coming in. Besides, we are honored guests. I have a feeling if we didn't go, there would be no concert." I chuckled. I caught Stark's eye and shared a knowing look with him. 

Kazuto let out a deep sigh. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?" 

"No. But it's funny that you tried." I laughed at the scowl on his face. I kissed his cheek before standing up to face the boss as it had finally respawned.

The time flew by and before I knew it, it was concert day. I was thankful that Charr and Stark were around to help me keep Kazuto distracted, otherwise I would have heard even more whining from him. It was bad enough at night when it was just the two of us. He made every excuse he could to try to get out of going. All ended in failure.

I guess crowds still make him uncomfortable, unless it’s for a boss fight. Not that I blamed him. I still sometimes get glares from other players, though it’s toned down since I helped train the newbies. 

I was surprised to find the amphitheatre packed to the brim. There were some seats reserved for us in the front row, otherwise we would have had to squeeze somewhere into the crowd. 

Agil was there already, waving us over. "What's shakin'?" He asked, giving the boys a “manly” handshake. Me? I got a hug strong enough to crack some health points out of me. For a giant of a man, he sure is affectionate.

"I swear one of these days you're gonna kill me, Agil. And Kirito won't be too happy about that." I laughed as he dropped me to the ground. 

"Glad to see you two finally stopped making googly eyes at each other and did something about it. 'Bout time!" Kazuto and I blushed bright red and looked away embarrassed. Agil laughed and clapped us on the shoulders. 

Charr caught my eye and jerked his head to the stage. "Hey guys, make yourselves comfortable. Charr and I gotta go meet with some of the other instructors real quick." I pulled Kazuto over to me for a quick peck on the cheek. "Enjoy the show." I whispered in his ear before pulling away and following Charr backstage. 

This was going to be a fun show.


	22. Chapter 22

Kirito:  
Where did Sarasheem go? The concert was about to start, and she’s still not back. At this point, she won’t be back before it starts. Did she run off to be alone with him? 

I was shifting my weight from one foot to the other with nervous energy. I haven't been in a crowd this big without Sarasheem in a very long time. Agil and Stark were there to try and keep me company, but it wasn’t the same without her by my side. 

Where was she-

“Welcome everyone! Thank you for joining us for our first concert. Now we don’t charge for tickets, but if we can ask for one small favor, it would be that any items or Col that you don’t need go to helping those who do need them. Argo runs the training camps, and she does a terrific job at distributing them. 

“Now for introductions, I have Alastairius on the keyboard!" A middle-aged man standing behind what looked like an electric piano, waved to the crowd with both hands. "Charr on the drums, you may recognize him from the assault team." Charr stood from his stool with a small head bow before resuming his seat. "Victreebell on bass." A girl with skin darker than even Agil and her hair in many tight braids starting from her forehead, stood tall and proud as she was introduced. She was holding a four string guitar in the shape of a double-bladed axe. "And I am Sarasheem. Together we are Blades of Blood!” 

My eyes widened. Sarasheem, for once was wearing her hair down and dressed in a black miniskirt. A shimmery red halter top flowed down her neck to stop just above her skirt, a small strip of pale skin peeking out. Black fingerless gloves and heeled combat boots finished off the outfit. Beside her stood two guitars, a simple acoustic and an electric guitar that looked like a shield with a sword sticking out as the neck. I know it was based off of some game character’s weapons, but I couldn’t remember the little green clad character’s name nor the name of the princess in which the game was named for. But I did recognize the three gold triangle symbols decorating them.

I don't think I had ever seen her more beautiful.

The four band members on stage pumped their fists. They were all dressed in a similar fashion to Sarasheem, red shirts and black pants. All wore the same gloves and boots as Sarasheem, too. They looked badass on that stage.

The crowd around me cheered their hearts out. But me, I was still frozen in shock, mouth gaping like a fish. 

This is why Sarasheem wanted to come so bad. She was part of the band playing. How did I not know that she knew how to play the guitar? She was a terrific singer, she sang me that song on Christmas and it was beautiful. 

I still need to ask her about the meaning of that song. I thought to myself. 

"She and the other band members practiced for months together to master their instrument skills. And getting the materials to make them was extremely tough. Especially since they were training the new players at the same time." Stark yelled over the cheering crowd. A giant smile on his face.

"But… how did they even make them?" I asked, dumbfounded. I had never heard of real world instruments being in the game. The closest thing to a guitar was the lute. And they sounded nothing alike.

"Some of the crafters and blacksmiths discovered that you can make anything you want, within reason of course, if you can get your skills high enough. Actually, it was Asuna who started it when she was working on her cooking skills. She just started experimenting and came out with food from home. So that got others thinking of what else we can make." Agil laughed at my astonished look.

Sarasheem caught my eye with a wink, grabbed the shield-guitar and swung the strap over her shoulder. With a nod back to him, Charr slapped his drumsticks together three times and the band started playing. 

They. Sounded. Amazing! I couldn't believe it! My jaw never left the floor that night. With every song, they seemed to become more in-tune with one another, working off the stage nerves.

I recognized most of the songs from animes: Beyond the Boundary, No Game No Life, Noragami (that song was sung by the guy playing keyboard), and even the American anime with video game graphics RWBY (Sarasheem got me into watching that before the beta ended). Stark wasn’t kidding, they must have spent months playing together to sound this good. 

For the last two songs, Sarasheem switched to her acoustic guitar. They were more mellow songs, probably to wind the crowd down for the night. 

It was the last song that got to me though. The same song Sarasheem had sung to me on Christmas Day. But this time, she sang it in Japanese. I could finally understand what she was singing that day.

The whole time she sang, she stared right at me, smiling secretly. Everything and everyone around us disappeared, and it was just Sarasheem singing, to me. My heart was hammering in my ears, my throat closed up. Eyes burning, I had to fight back the tears that wanted to escape.

I never thought of myself as the sentimental type, but damn does this girl turn me into one. I don't know how I got so lucky to love, and be loved in return, by this girl.

"Thank you everyone for joining us tonight! We appreciate each and every one of you. Support one another, keep hope in your hearts, and someday we will all return home! Goodnight Aincrad!" Sarasheem yelled to the crowd as the four of them bowed before they returned backstage. 

"So what'cha think, Kirito? She gonna be an idol someday?" Agil clapped me on the back, almost knocking me to the ground.

"I don't think his jaw left the floor all night!" Stark laughed until he was doubled over with his hands on his stomach. "Catching flies there, Kirito?" He slapped one of his thighs, howling with laughter.

My cheeks must have been a bright red with how hot my face felt. I could feel it all the way to my ears and down my neck. My mouth opened to try and say something intelligent, but nothing came out. I haven't spoken a word since before the concert started. I was still too stunned to speak.

I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist from behind. I looked over my shoulder to see Sarasheem with her chin resting on it. Her eyes were sparkling, like sunlight on the ocean, and her cheeks were flushed.

"I didn't know…" I croaked. I took a deep breath and tried again, "I didn't know you knew how to play the guitar." 

“Yeah, my dad taught me as a kid when we were still in the States. We still played together whenever he had free time from his job after we moved to Japan.” I pulled Sarasheem around to stand beside me, resting my arm around her shoulders. 

“How come you never joined the band in school then?” Charr asked after bumping fists with Agil and Stark. “I always went to watch the band because my younger brother was in it. But I never saw you among them?” He looked at Sarasheem quizzically. I felt her flinch beside me.

“How would you know if she was in her school’s band or not?” I asked accusingly. I could feel my blood start to boil in anger and jealousy. I never trusted how close the two of them became while Sarasheem and I were separated last year. It seemed as if they had become more than friends...

“Turns out Charr and I went to the same school. His brother was a year behind me and Charr was two years ahead of me.” Sarasheem squeezed my waist before she turned back to Charr and continued, “You know what my school life was like. Joining the band would have just made things worse. Besides, they already had two guitar players and a bass player. They didn’t need me.” She looked at the ground dejectedly.

“Oh. That makes sense-”

“What do you mean by that?” I interrupted Charr and looked over at Sarasheem. She was a loner, like me. So why would she be upset just because she couldn’t join her school’s band?

“Man, don’t make her tell you about that here. That’s something that should be explained in private.” Charr glanced around at the players that were still milling around talking about the concert.

“Wait! He knows?! Why does he know about this and I don’t?” I pushed her out of my arms. I couldn’t stop the jealousy from rearing its ugly head. “What else are you keeping from me? Are you seeing him behind my back, too? Was anything between us even real?” I yelled angrily at her. The words escaping before I could even think about what I was saying. I knew I was being stupid, that the little jealous thoughts were just a product of my self-consciousness.

Her blue eyes widened in shock and they immediately filled with tears. A sob escaped her before she turned on her heel and bolted out of the amphitheatre. I instantly felt guilty.

I suddenly found myself on the ground, a few health points lower and an aching jaw. I looked up to find Charr standing over me, fists clenched at his sides and anger radiating off of the red-eyed player. His dragon was flying in front of me growling with little puffs of flame shooting out of its nose. 

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you?!” Charr’s chest heaved with his fury. “That girl has loved you for as long as I have known her. Even after you chose your guild over her for months. She taught us half of these songs because they reminded her of you! She did all of this for you! I had to do everything that I could do to make sure she survived the boss raids after you left her behind. She almost died, twice, because some jackass decided his new pals that he had just met were more important than his partner. She was absolutely devastated when you two split up!

"And did it not occur to you that she may have made friends while you were off doing who knows what, and those friends might know a thing or two that you don’t? You were gone for eight months, Kirito!” He ran his hand through the flame-colored portion of hair at the front of his head.

“What the hell else am I supposed to think? I’ve known her for two years, and not once has she ever mentioned any of this! Not the guitar playing, singing, or her school life; which from what I gathered was pretty shitty. Why would she keep that from me when I told her everything about mine?!” I stumbled to my feet, just to fall back to the ground to avoid another punch from Charr.

“You’re not the only one in her life! Nor are you the only one who loves her, you fucking moron! She doesn’t have to tell you every little detail of her misery! You have no idea the shit she’s had to go through! The only reason I know the specifics of what’s been done to her is because my brother told me. And I didn't even know it was her until she told me that we attended the same school and mentioned that awful nickname her classmates had given her! Between kids destroying her stuff on a daily basis to the threats to her and her family! So do you really blame her for not telling you? That she didn't want to tell the person she loves about her weakness in the real world?”

Charr’s fury was rising by the minute, and honestly, I didn't blame the guy. I was a shitty friend, and an even worse boyfriend. How could I have accused her of cheating on me? Especially since we were practically joined at the hip all this time. 

“Now guys, this isn’t the time nor the place for this.” Agil held out his hands in a placating manner. His voice was low and soothing to try and calm Charr and I down.

“That’s fine. I’ve said all I’ve needed to say. For her sake, I hope you leave her the hell alone this time. She doesn’t need your jealous bullshit. Not then, and not now. 

"Now I'm gonna go find your girlfriend. At least one of us actually cares about her.” Charr ran after her, but not before he threw me one last glare. With a growl and a puff of fire, his red dragon flew after him.

“What the hell did I just do?” I cried out loud, burying my head in my hands. Tears were falling down my face, soaking my shirt. I didn't even care that everyone around me could see how low the black swordsman had fallen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no! More drama between the love birds! Will they come back from this?  
> Hope you guys enjoyed the concert scene! This whole story actually started as a dream so I figured I'd add it in! Here is the playlist that I see them singing! I do not own any rights to these songs or Animes. Also I used the English names for the animes because that's what I know them as.  
> Rising Hope by LiSA  
> No Game by Konomi Suzuki  
> Owaranai Melody wo Utaidashimashita by Mikako Komatsu  
> Crossing Fields by LiSA  
> This Will Be the Day by Casey Lee Williams  
> Brightdown by Nami Tamaki  
> Kyouran Hey Kids! By The Oral Cigarettes  
> Kyoukai no Kanata by Minori Chihara  
> My Soul, Your Beats! By Lia  
> You'll Be In My Heart by Phil Collins (sung in Japanese)


	23. Chapter 23

Sarasheem:  
“Wait! He knows?! Why does he know about this and I don’t? What else are you keeping from me? Are you seeing him behind my back, too? Was anything between us even real?” Kazuto yelled as he pushed me away from him. Anger and betrayal in his eyes.

How could he?! After everything that’s happened between us?! He dared to call me a cheater! I spun around and bolted for the teleport platform. I sobbed as I ran through the crowded first floor plaza. 

I needed to find somewhere that no one would find me. A place where I could be alone. Where no one would think to look for me. And I knew just the place.

There was a forest on floor twenty-two that had rumors of a ghost living in it. And on the edge of that forest was a beautiful log cabin, I had been secretly saving up my Col to buy it and surprise Kazuto with it. I was planning for it to be our home base so we wouldn't have to stay at the inns anymore.

I guess it can be a log cabin for one now...

I reached the teleport pad, barely able to see through the tears. Before I spoke of my request to move floors, I opened my menu and disbanded the party. But that's not all I did. 

I couldn't let anyone find me. Very few knew of a way to do that without deleting your whole friends list. Argo and I discovered a way to hide your location, without going through the hassle of deleting all of your friends. And I was going to put that knowledge to good use. 

"Teleport to Floor Twenty-Two." As soon as the words finished leaving my mouth I heard a distant shout of my name. Turning, I watched Charr running towards me before everything shimmered and Tolbana was gone.

Stepping off the platform on the twenty-second floor I started towards where the cabin was. It had been a while since I visited, and I hoped no one had beaten me to buying it. It was a twenty minute run at my fastest speed. Not many players liked to be that far away from a teleport gate, not to mention the "ghost" residing in the forest right next to it. But that is exactly what I needed. 

Luckily, the cabin was still unoccupied and for sale. I barely had enough Col for the purchase, so furnishing it would have to come later. I'll have to go hunting monsters in the woods to earn more Col tomorrow. But for now, all I wanted to do was sleep and cry.

I set my sleeping roll on the floor and crawled inside. The floor was hard and cold, and I missed the warmth of Kazuto's arms wrapped around me. 

Now that I was alone and no longer distracted, I let the sobs and tears free. How could he? was the only thought running around my head as my shattered heart wept.

Kirito:  
"She's gone." A dejected voice spoke above me. 

Charr had returned, alone. His shoulders were slumped and his head hung low in defeat. 

"Well what about locating her through the friends list?" Stark asked as he opened his menu. He let out a gasp and looked at the rest of us in shock. "It says 'area unknown.' It’s as if she just disappeared, or died." Stark's voice wavered as his eyes filled with tears.

"Yeah. That was the first thing I looked at when she teleported away. I was going to track her, but it's like the game couldn't find her. But I don't think she's dead, because then she would be taken off of our friends list completely." Charr spoke in that same depressed tone.

"If anyone would know a way around this, it would be Argo. She knows everything there is about this game with that book of hers. I'll send her a message-" Agil started.

"No need. She's right here. And to answer your question, you won't be able to find her. Not until she turns her location back on." A cloaked figure slunk out of the shadows. She pulled back her hood to reveal her short blond hair and black-lined face.

"Hey Argo! Long time no see, little lady! How long you been skulking over there? Could ya help a friend out and explain how this is possible?" Agil clapped Argo on the back, almost knocking the girl off her feet. I briefly wondered how many people had eaten dirt from one of Agil's strong slaps.

"I only arrived a minute ago, so not long. I was supposed to meet Sarasheem here to trade some items with her after the concert, but I guess you guys ran her off before I could do that. 

"Anyway… Sarasheem and I discovered the hidden location hack after she joined the training instructors on floor one. We found a way to turn off location for a player so no one could find that player, even people on their friends list. It doesn't work for party members though, and we’re not sure if it works between a married couple. We kept the information hush-hush so that player killer guilds, like Titans' Hand, couldn't use it to hide." Argo shrugged.

"But… How are we going to find her? She even disbanded the party before she left. How do I get her back?" I asked from the ground. I haven't moved an inch since Charr put me there with his punches.

"You aren't going to do anything. I think you've done enough damage." Charr pointed at me and I looked away, guiltily. He was right. Sarasheem running away was my fault in the first place. Me and my stupid, misplaced jealousy. "We are going to check every place we can possibly think of to find her." Charr waved his hands to indicate the rest of the group.

I nodded my head in understanding. I'd give them all the help I could if it meant finding her. I was worried that she would take on some monster that could kill her. Knowing her, she'd try to take on a high level boss on her own. Just like I did after Sachi… It still surprises me that I survived my solo fight with Nicholas the Renegade.

"Start with sending out messages to any friends you have in common. Also, check the inns on the higher floors. She's too stubborn to give up leveling and will probably try to take on the higher floors by herself." I suggested meekly. 

"Already on the friends list. She and I trained a lot of the new players together. Since shield users were needed so much on the frontlines to tank, none of them could help her train the newbies. So we have all of them in common on our friends list." Stark said.

"Alright. I've sent one off to Asuna also, to have her guild keep a lookout for her and to let one of us know if they find her. Of course, I'll let you guys know if I hear back." Agil shook hands with Charr and Stark in goodbye. After a brief hug with Argo, he looked down at me, pity and a hint of anger in his eyes, before leaving the group.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked the two boys and Argo. Another tear escaped my eye before I could stop it. 

"Stay put. We already have our hands full trying to find her and fix this mess that you made. Find an inn and stay there. We don't need you fucking this up more than you already have." Charr growled at me. 

I nodded and hung my head in shame. How could I possibly fix breaking her heart, and for the second time? I thought to myself as I got to my feet and left the amphitheatre.

Sarasheem:  
Flashback  
“Dammit!” I yelled into thin air as I came upon another dead end. “Well, I might as well face the hoard.” I grumbled to myself.

I turned around to face the mob of Wolves and Kobalds that had finally caught up to me. I no longer had the option to keep running, there were too many of them now. Damn, I didn’t want to have to start my search over looking for the second floor boss room, but I was out of health potions against this massive collection of monsters I had chasing me.

So I did the only thing left I could do: fight.

I was about halfway through the crowd, with only a quarter of my health points left, when half of the remaining monsters turned and started attacking something behind them. 

Someone is here! I am saved! I thought to myself.

Another thrust of my sword, another block from my shield, and a final slash to defeat the last Kobald. Just as suddenly as the fight started, it was over. I collapsed on the ground, health points now in the red, and took great heaving breaths. 

A figure hovered over me, my hero. I couldn’t make out his features as his face was covered in shadows. I could see his hair was longer on the left side of his face and short on the right side. He was still wearing the clothes given to new players and only carried a single short sword as a weapon. 

He held out his hand to me and helped me to my feet. I took it and when I was upright I got a better look at his face. His black hair was actually parted on the right side of his head, his hair just barely long enough to brush his shoulders. Two black eyes were staring at me, slightly widened in surprise. Framing his face was a strong, sharp jaw and a straight nose. His character was quite handsome.

“So that’s where all the monsters went, they were chasing you. Never thought I’d see a girl playing in the beta. You do know that you’re supposed to fight them, not run away from them right?” He chuckled.

“No, really? I had no idea that a game called Sword Art: Online was about fighting!” I replied sarcastically, with emphasis on the word fighting. My new companion just laughed harder, so I rolled my eyes at him. “I ran out of health potions and was trying to get out, but I got lost and kept coming up on dead ends. I was running from the monsters so I wouldn’t die and have to completely start from scratch when I came back.” I crossed my arms as if daring him to challenge my logic.

“Well I guess that makes sense.” He scratched the back of his head nervously. “By the way, name’s Kirito.”

“I’m Sarasheem. Nice to meet ya!”

I opened my swollen eyes to bright sunlight coming in through the windows of my new home. Of all the things to dream about, I didn’t think they would be about meeting Kirito for the first time. I’m sure more tears would be running down my face if I had any left to cry. 

I slowly crawled out of my sleeping bag and got to my feet. While I wanted to stay in bed all day, I still had to earn some Col to furnish this place. Also, I couldn’t just wallow in my misery. I had to keep my level up to help the assault team in clearing the top floors. But how to do that without getting recognized…

I would have to completely change my armor and change my weapon style, too. I could probably keep my shield and use a one-handed mace or hammer. Also dying my armor would change the color. If I put on a helmet, no one would know it was me, I hoped. It had to be a color no one else would expect me to wear.

Pink.

Oh how I loathed that color. But it would be the perfect cover. I usually would never be caught dead wearing the color, especially hot pink, but these were extenuating circumstances. Dying my armor wouldn’t be enough though. If I kept the armor I have now, I would be easily recognized by Charr, Stark, and Kaz-

No. I can’t even think his name right now. 

I donned some random armor I had, that I was supposed to give Argo after the concert, for now. It shouldn’t take me long to find something better. A couple days at most, starting with the mid-level boss on this floor. It was a high enough level that I would get plenty of experience, and some decent armor, but low enough that I could take it out on my own without getting myself killed.

I was halfway to the small forest clearing that the boss resided in when I saw it: the ghost.

I was sprinting through the trees when out of my peripheral vision a white figure appeared between the trunks. I hadn’t expected to see the ghost. So when I caught sight of it out of the corner of my eye, I immediately froze mid-stride.

And that was how I ended up on the forest floor after tripping over my own feet and careening through the underbrush. With a groan, I opened my eyes and immediately yelled.

Standing above me was the ghost. She was a little girl, about nine or ten years old, wearing a white ankle length dress with a sash around her waist. She had long black hair and bright black eyes. 

Eyes that reminded me so much of him. 

I shook that thought out of my head and sat up to get a better look at the young girl. “Are you alright?” She asked in a sweet voice. I couldn’t help but feel relaxed and calm at the sound of it.

“Yeah. Just tripped over my own feet, is all. What are you doing out here all alone?” I looked up to see that she didn’t carry the blue icon of an NPC. Actually, she didn’t have any type of icon. I hadn’t seen anything like it. She wasn’t a player, nor a NPC. I had no idea what she was, but what I did know was that she wasn’t normal.


	24. Chapter 24

The little girl had nothing. No friends, no family, not even a name. So I gave her one, Yui. It seemed fitting as she was all alone in this place. Of course, I couldn’t leave her in the forest to fend for herself. So I took her back to my log cabin to live until we can either restore her memories or someone comes to find her.

Maybe we could help each other feel less alone in the meantime. 

It only took a week to get into somewhat of a routine. In the mornings, after breakfast, I would teach Yui how to wield a sword. After lunch, I would take her out to Tolbana Plains to help her hone these skills, of course I was in my new disguise so I wasn’t recognized. In the evenings, I would leave her at the cabin so I could fight the mid-level boss and keep my level high enough for the boss raid that I was sure would happen soon.

And happen, it did. It was only two and a half weeks after I found Yui that I got the message about the boss room being found. I hadn’t expected it to take this long. Even with one less team, unless Charr and Stark were still helping look for the room with him.

It still hurt to talk about him, though sometimes I found myself telling Yui stories about my best friend turned ex-boyfriend. She looked so much like him that it sometimes brought tears to my eyes. I never showed it in front of Yui though, always making sure she was asleep in her bed before I let myself cry.

“Yui, it’s that time. I don’t know how long I will be gone, but I want you to stay here. Don’t go out alone, you hear me? It’s not safe out there, and no one can bother you inside.” I bent over to bring myself down to her eye-level. “I’ve given you enough food for two days. If I am not back in that time, go look for a player named Charr, he’s tall and has black hair with red and yellow in the front to look like fire. He also has a red dragon following him. He will take care of you if you tell him my name.” I patted her head, affectionately.

“Okay, mama!” She jumped up from the sofa she was sitting on and hugged me around my waist.

I don’t know why she started calling me that, but somehow it felt right. Even though I was only seventeen, it felt like this little girl was always meant to be my daughter. She fights as if she was my kid when we are training on the lower levels, with my temper too.

I donned my hot pink armor, cringing on the inside at the garish color, along with my silver helmet. On one arm I wore a silver kite shield with a pink flower design, cringe. On the opposite hip I was sporting a silver warhammer that periodically gave off a red glow from the fire ability it possessed. I finally managed to earn Phoenix’s Wrath from the mid-level boss on floor twenty-five, Shandra the Phoenix Queen. It was the best warhammer known, so far, and is only dropped to players over level seventy.

Sprinting at my top speed saw me to the floor teleport in twenty minutes. Good timing, as I would just make it on time to the war meeting for the fifty-second floor boss. They were having this meeting right at the teleport platform as it was the only clear spot big enough for all of the front-liners to fit without monsters spawning.

As predicted, not even a minute after arriving, a familiar voice called from the front of the crowd.  
“Can everyone hear me?” After murmurs and nods of affirmative Asuna continued. “Alright, this is the meeting for the boss raid on this floor. The creature’s name is Yggdrasil of the Ash. It is an enormous tree that sprouts smaller, but still giant, saplings. They use a spore that paralyzes and Yggdrasil also uses one that is a poison, so stock up on antidotes along with health potions. 

“While slow, these guys are still quite powerful. What they lose in speed, they more than make up for in strength. I want each guild and party leader to come to me for their assignments.” With that Asuna jumped down from the crate she was standing on and turned to the line of party leaders forming.

I saw Charr standing towards the back of the line. That must mean that Stark and Agil must be here. Thank gosh I decided to wear a helmet, I thought to myself. I quickly glanced around, but didn’t see either male. Nor did I see him. 

I waited until Charr left Asuna with his orders before I made my way over to her to get my own. “How many in your party?” She asked me without even a greeting. She seemed tired and stressed.

Oh crap! If I say anything she might recognize my voice! I gotta mime my answers! I held up one finger after a moment.

“You’re going to take on a boss fight solo? Not on my watch. You either join a party or you don’t fight at all. I’ve got a list of people that could use your help.” Asuna crossed her arms, not about to back down.

Oh well. Guess miming is out of the question. “I fight alone,” I said in the deepest voice I could manage, hopefully it was enough that she wouldn’t recognize it. “With or without your permission, Lightning Flash.” She tensed at her nickname being used in such a disrespectful manner.

“What level?” Asuna gritted her teeth and attempted to peer into my helmet. I turned away so she couldn’t get a good look at my face between the slits in the mouth guard and held up my hands to flash the numbers eight and two on them. She sighed and mumbled under her breath, something about stubborn idiots. “Fine. But you will be fighting the small fry. Just don’t get yourself killed. You will stay with Charr’s party, until I can trust you enough to know you can hold your own, they are one player short. If you impress me, you can fight alone in the next boss fight, deal?” I nodded as an answer. I can team up for one fight. “What’s your name?”

“Mauradin.” I turned on my heel and made my way over in the direction I saw Charr walk off in. I sighed deeply in relief. I survived the conversation with Asuna without being detected, unfortunately I had to push my luck with Charr so I could join the boss fight tomorrow.

Good thing names don’t hover above players heads like in other games.

Kirito:  
“Hey, I’m back.” Charr walked over to us with his menu opened up, his red dragon riding on his shoulder. “Looks like we will have a straggler joining our group, per Asuna’s orders. Guess they came up to her wanting to fight alone.”

“Could it be Sarasheem, you think?” Stark asked, looking between our party members.

“Nah. If it was, Asuna would have said so. She said a pink armored girl with a silver helmet should be joining us shortly to go over our plans.” Charr closed his menu, deep in thought.

I’m surprised Sarasheem is missing out on the boss fight. I figured this would be the one place she would show up. I shook my head in defeat. This was our last chance to find her. We even went searching on every floor, and still haven’t found where she had hidden herself.

“Looks like she’s here.” Agil said. My head shot up and I looked around hoping he was talking about Sarasheem, only to see the player Asuna had sent over. I sighed sadly and looked to the girl that would be joining our party.

She was wearing a hot pink breastplate that clung to her chest tightly, accentuating her curves. Her purple skirt hung halfway down her thighs, with the same hot pink, metal grieves to cover her shins and knees. Pink metal pauldrons covered her shoulders with more pink metal covering her forearms and hands. Hiding her face was a silver metal helmet with thin slits in the visor so she could see. Guess the girl really liked pink. 

She was the complete opposite of Sarasheem, wearing a short skirt and tight-fitting armor. Sarasheem hated showing skin, hence why she always wore long shirts and pants. She even went as far as wearing pants from level one until she found a clothier that could make a higher level pair for females. This game preferred girls wearing skirts, it seemed.

On her left arm was a shield, rounded on the side closest to her elbow and came to a point far enough past her wrist to still protect her hand. If I remembered correctly, it was called a kite shield. It had a pretty pink and green flower design on the silver shield. On her right hip was a warhammer with a spike on one side opposite the flat of the head. It gave off an eerie red glow every few minutes, meaning it must have some kind of fire ability.

“Hi! Welcome to our team! I’m Stark! That’s Charr, Kirito, and Agil!” Stark bounced over introducing each of us with a point of his finger. “What’s your name?”

“Mauradin.” She answered in a deep but still feminine voice, pronouncing it ma-rah-din, and crossed her arms. It almost seemed like she was irritated with having to party with us, which I guess she must be if Asuna demanded it. Knowing her, she probably threatened to prevent Mauradin from joining the boss raid if she didn’t party with someone.

“Judging by your armor and weapon I would guess that you are a tank. Which is great because Kirito over there needs a tank. He drove off his last partner in a jealous fit.” Charr glared at me. I just ignored him and continued to stare at the new girl. “So you will be stuck with him. I don’t trust him on his own, he’s too much of a stubborn idiot and without his ex-girlfriend to keep him in line, I can’t rely on him not to die.” I flinched when he mentioned my new relationship status.

Mauradin just shrugged her shoulders, preferring not to speak unless necessary, I suppose. She must be the silent type. I could tell she was a high level player by the way she walked in her armor and carried her shield like she could use it at any second. I wondered how she got this high up without us crossing paths with her before. We knew pretty much everyone on the assault team, along with most of the higher level players that sometimes joined. Plus not many people chose mono-colors unless they were part of a guild, with the exception of our group.

“We should add her to the party. Oh! And to our friends list, too!” Stark bounced on the balls of his feet in excitement. 

“No.” Everyone froze, stunned at the firmness of her tone.

“Why not? Being part of the party helps everyone keep each other’s health points in check. It’s just an added precaution during a fight.” Charr narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the pink armored newcomer.

Her only response was a shake of her head.

“Come on. Don’t give me that solo bull. I know we have the black swordsman with us but that’s no excuse to be rude.” Charr tried reasoning with her again, crossing his arms over his red jacket, mimicking her stance. He tended to only armor up right before going out to fight, never wearing it when he was in town due to it slowing him down too much. Or so he says. I think he just likes showing off his muscles.

“No!” She yelled in a higher pitched voice, crossing her arms. Her whole body tensed, preparing to either fight or walk away. Her voice sounded weirdly familiar, but the helmet was making it echo weirdly so I couldn’t quite place the voice. 

“Whatever then. Meet back here fifteen minutes before the raid group leaves at ten in the morning. If you’re late, we leave without you.” Charr said, waving his hand at Mauradin dismissively. She took that as her cue to leave, turning on her heel and stalking away towards the teleport platform, her armor clinking almost musically.

“I have a feeling that could have gone better.” I spoke up for the first time since the pink clad player joined us. “Anyone else notice how her voice changed when she yelled?”

Everyone exchanged confused looks. They must not have noticed it. “You don’t think…” Agil trailed off, afraid to finish his sentence. The whole party got quiet, lost in their thoughts.

“It can’t be. She wouldn’t be caught dead wearing that color, nor would she wear something so skimpy and form fitting. She wouldn’t be able to walk around in that and be comfortable.” I waved my hand in the direction Mauradin had walked off.

“I don’t know. I’m not convinced. Either way, we should keep an eye on her. I don’t exactly trust her.” Charr said, grabbing his chin in thought. 

“Well nothing we can do about it til tomorrow. Let’s get dinner! I’m starving!” Stark piped up cheerily. Everyone laughed at his antics and headed to the previous floor to find an inn and some food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit goes to Magic The Gathering card game for Shandra the Phoenix Queen as it's based off of Chandra Plainswalker. Fun card game! Definitely recommend playing!  
> Also credit to InuYasha for Blades of Blood as that was one of InuYasha’s attacks in the anime and I liked how it sounded for a band of sword users. Forgot to put that credit in there earlier!


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Four  
It was a quiet journey to Yggdrasil’s room. Stark tried starting a conversation between their party and I, but after the third time of me ignoring him, he finally got the hint. It killed me to see the hurt look on his face, but I didn't want to risk speaking and having the boys recognize my voice.

Instead I got to watch the kicked puppy dog look on Stark’s face, and it broke my heart. I knew I was acting like a snotty bitch, and I hated every moment of it. This guy was the sweetest, most joyful boy I had ever met, he didn’t deserve the treatment I was giving him.

On the other hand, everyone seemed to ignore Kirito. Sometimes the other boys shot him a glare, but no one spoke to him. I was severely shocked that Kirito was even with them. He hated partying with Charr, and wouldn’t unless I begged him to. So why was he still with them, even when I wasn’t around? I figured he would be off on his own, trying to fight solo. Like I was doing. Not staying with my friends and hanging his head in what seemed to be despair.

I was so lost in my own thoughts, I didn’t notice the large group stop. I bumped into the person walking in front of me, who I recognized as a mid tier member of the KBO guild. He gave me a disgusted look, as if I stepped in dog poop on the way over, before haughtily turning to face forward once more. I hated top guilders in any game, they always thought they were better than other players, even though I could kick his ass in five seconds weaponless.

Asuna called from the front of the crowd, reminding everyone to stick to their assignments and “no playing hero,” as she put it. With her speech finished, she turned and stalked into the boss's chamber, her guild following close behind. 

Like always, Charr's party and I were one of the last to enter the room. I felt like I was back in high school where the popular kids got the best of everything while the social outcasts got the crap end of the stick, as my father would say. In this case, the popular guilds got the chance to defeat the boss while the smaller parties or guilds were segregated to fight the small fry. It sucked because the party that takes out the boss gets the items and the experience that dropped.

Ah, the perks of being part of a guild. I didn't blame Asuna for joining the biggest assault guild in the game. She gets the safety of numbers while also getting the perks of defeating the floor bosses. 

My thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the giant tree growing in the middle of the room. This thing was massive. It stood at least thirty feet high and a gaping maw filled with teeth-like spikes. Two thick branches protruded from each side, four arms in total, ending in clawed hands. Dotting the branches were leaves and some kind of flower buds. Many roots broke free from the ground to move the tree around the room. The name, Yggdrasil of the Ash, hovered over the tree’s green-leafed head along with four green health bars.

An ear-splitting screech left the tree’s mouth and in response, nine smaller trees erupted from the ground. These trees looked almost exactly like Yggdrasil, but with only two arms instead of four. They also lacked the leaves, though they still had the strange flower buds. They were about half the height of the floor boss, standing at about ten to fifteen feet high with only a single health bar.

Boy, was I glad I spent all of that time beating Shandra the Phoenix Queen until she dropped the flaming warhammer I now carried. Trees and plants were susceptible to fire weapons along with slashing attacks. Which meant I had an advantage over these monster trees. Though my warhammer was considered a blunt weapon instead of a slashing weapon. An axe or sword would have been a better choice for this fight.

With a mighty roar that rivaled any boss, the raiding party split into their respective teams and began to battle. 

Charr's party and I hurriedly made our way to one of the smaller tree monsters that was furthest from the entrance. Kirito reached the tree first, immediately slashing with his single black sword. 

I wondered why he wasn't using his dual wield, it would do twice the amount of damage due to attacking with two swords instead of one. It made no sense that he would hide that skill, especially in a boss fight. In these battles, it was imperative to take out the small fry as soon as possible, and once they were defeated those parties can help the main group in killing the boss. 

So what could possibly be his reasoning for hiding such a powerful skill? 

Finally, I reached the tree monster. Perfect timing, as the tree was slashing towards Kirito with one of its clawed hands. I quickly cut in front of him and brought up my shield to block the attack, while simultaneously bringing my warhammer down on the monster's arm. A slight orange flame appeared from the contact, leaving a charred spot and a small bit of ash floating in the air. 

Kirito and I ducked the next swipe from the tree and I noticed that the rest of the party had arrived. Agil swung with his mighty two-handed axe, gouging a deep groove right below its snarling mouth. Maybe we should call Agil “the woodcutter” from now on. I chuckled in my head.

Bang! I was knocked off of my feet by the tree’s next punch. I hadn’t been paying enough attention and this helmet restricted my vision massively. I knew there was a reason why not many players wore helmets, or if they did they wore something with an open face. But hiding was more important at the moment.

“Yo, Mauradin! You okay over there?” Agil called over to me from the other side of the tree before rolling to the side to avoid the tree’s next attack.

I jumped back to my feet and nodded my answer. I had to be more careful or I was going to end up joining the many players who lost their lives in this world. 

Sidestepping to avoid the root-like foot that came stomping toward me, I slashed my warhammer across the limb. I inwardly cringed at my handling of my weapon. I had to remember that I was no longer using a sword, which meant less slashing and more banging. Hopefully no one noticed my screwup, though I was sure the only one who would know the difference would be Stark. He was really the only one with the knowledge of the differences due to his proficiency with all weapon types. Agil might have seen the difference, but as he uses two handed axes, and sometimes hammers, I highly doubt he would focus on the nuances of a single handed hammer compared to a sword.

Luckily, it looked like Stark was too busy to be watching me.

I ran closer to the tree monster to get a better angle. As I reached the enemy, I was jostled by someone who had the same idea. In my aggravation I snarled out, “watch it!” at them before turning to see who it was that had gotten in my way. A pair of black eyes glared back at me before they looked back at our opponent. 

Kirito cross slashed an X into the tree’s back, followed by a side swipe before he had to jump out of the way of a clawed hand trying to strike him. I ducked under the same attack and swung my hammer into the bark, leaving behind another smoldering mark. Two more hits of my hammer later, and the tree released another high pitched screech while red cracks spread out from where my last attack hit. The tree monster had sustained a burn! This would help wheedle down the monster’s health even faster!

With a roar and a shake of its branches, the flower buds opened up and released a cloud of yellow spore. Kirito and I couldn’t get out in time and became paralyzed. I let out a groan of frustration and tensed myself for the hit I could see coming towards us. We were thrown a few feet away, ending up in a heap on the floor.

Kirito landed with his chest draped over my back and his head resting against my right shoulder. I heard a muffled curse come from him before the paralysis faded and we were back on our feet. “Stay out of my way!” Kirito yelled at me before we both made our way towards the tree monster. I didn’t blame him for his outburst. It’s not like I had been nice to him or his party this whole time.

The burn from my last hit helped more than I had ever expected, perfect timing too as Kirito and I were out of commission for about fifteen seconds. Another dozen or so attacks later by our party and the monster shattered into blue shards, floating into the air before disappearing. With this tree out of the way, we were free to help the KBO guild defeat Yggdrasil. 

I quickly opened my inventory and proceeded to drink a High Potion to heal myself. It would take two minutes for the potion to heal me fully, so in the meantime I turned my attention to the battle still raging on.

Yggdrasil had only lost one of his health bars in the time it took us to defeat our opponent. I glanced around the room to see that none of the smaller parties had lost members, thankfully. I couldn't tell if the main group were missing any players, as they were a mass of white around the boss.

When my health reached three quarters, Yggdrasil let out a fearsome roar. This roar was less of a screech than before, meaning something different was going to happen. Then the buds covering the monster burst open to release a dark purple cloud. 

Poison. The main group would need time to use antidotes and crystals to get rid of the poison. 

I wouldn't be able to move through the crowd before we started losing players from Yggdrasil's next attack. I could always try to climb over-

A hand suddenly grabbed my arm and started turning to swing me. Before they let me go I looked up to see a black blur before they released my hand. I flew over the crowd in the perfect position to bash my shield into the monster's face. I slammed the pointed side of my warhammer into the bark and used it along with the point of my shield to climb into the branches of the tree, as if they were ice picks. 

I hammered away at as many branches as I could, watching the health bar drop faster now that the tree was losing parts of itself. Yggdrasil let out another roar, he was going to release his poison spores again, and I was still sitting in his branches. 

"Sarasheem, get out of there!" I heard Kirito's voice scream.

I immediately dropped out of the branches, right into a fist aimed at the crowd that had started to reform. The hit smashed into my helmet and I was thrown over the crowd, again, and slammed into a wall, head first. My mouth let out an oof and I released a groan as my body finally hit the wall before falling to the floor. I swear I saw stars as I laid on my stomach, incapacitated. 

It was this point that I realized that I could see the whole room: the durability of my helmet had reached zero from that one attack. My disguise had failed. Now everyone could see my face. I couldn’t hide from my old party any longer. I was screwed.

"You idiot! What were you thinking?" A voice above me said. I would know that voice anywhere, I thought as a pair of black gloved hands lifted my head into his lap. I looked up into twin pools of shadow-colored eyes.

I reached up to cup his cheek in my hand. I had missed him so much these last few weeks. "How-" I croaked. I cleared my throat before trying again, "how'd you know it was me?" 

"We had a feeling when a random top player joined the assault team that no one had heard of. I wasn't completely sure until I threw you and you did the swing like always." Kirito chuckled brokenly.

"Is Sarasheem okay?" A panting Stark dropped to his knees beside us. He must have run after me when Yggdrasil punched me into the wall.

"I'm all for the happy reunion, but we still have a boss to beat." Charr puffed as he joined the group. He threw a potion at me. "We will discuss everything after the battle, so don't go running off again or there will be hell to pay next time we find you. I would break my rule of not hitting a woman in anger." 

I shivered at the anger flashing in Charr's eyes. I never had his anger directed towards me before, and I hoped I never did again. Those red eyes of his were terrifying when he was furious.

Back on my feet, with some help from Kirito and Stark, I marched my way over to Yggdrasil with my party once again at my back. For the first time since I left the amphitheatre, I felt truly at home.


	26. Chapter 26

Since I was no longer trying to hide my identity, I changed back into my signature blue armor and blue sword. The only thing I kept was the flowery kite shield. I had grown fond of it during my short battle with Yggdrasil, and I wanted to continue using it. The pointed end of the shield made for a great weapon. Maybe it would be my new luck charm, if I was the superstitious type. Which I'm not. Mostly. Also, it needed a makeover. Ew flowers and girly stuff.

During my incapacitation, Yggdrasil managed to call forth another five tree minions. This was a first for us, as no other floor boss had ever called more minions to fight after the first set was defeated. Luckily, Asuna made a great general and handled the unexpected situation with ease. She ordered some of her KBO guild members to take on the small fry, which I was shocked to see when I was, finally, ready to rejoin the battle.

Back to full health and raring to go, my party and I looked towards Agil on the front lines. He had done well on his own, but the point of having a party was to fight together. His health must have been getting low as he was spending more time defending than attacking. The poor guy, he had all his teammates ditch him, and at a time like this. I’d have to remember to yell at the guys later for abandoning a party member, we need to watch all of each other’s backs. One of them should have stayed with the man to help him. I think a Gibbs’ smack was in each of their futures.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I had spent enough time in my mind during this fight. I needed to get my head in the game, pun intended. I started running for the small crowd that was still formed around the giant tree’s feet. I immediately noticed that Yggdrasil’s health was down to the last bar. Thank goodness, that meant this fight was almost over.

Yggdrasil let out a moaning groan. Another new sound, meaning another new attack. And boy was I right, regretfully.

We had barely reached the fighting crowd when the leaves started falling from Yggdrasil’s branches. When they came in contact with a player or the ground, they exploded like bombs. But that wasn’t all. With each explosion, a cloud of spores was also released. Some players were paralyzed, some were poisoned, and some were even put to sleep. Stun spore, poison powder, and sleep powder. All this monster needed was will-o-wisp and it would have all the status ailments covered. Thankfully it didn’t.

“Those who are able, cover the players who need status recovery items! Move it!” Asuna called from the foot of the boss, a purplish hue to her skin. “Anyone with high strength, grab a sleeping player and move them to a safe location!”

Like a well oiled machine, KBO guild members and players alike followed Asuna’s instructions. Kirito and I each grabbed a player and dragged them far enough from the fighting that they wouldn’t get stepped on or tripped over. I briefly wondered how many players died during this fight… But I couldn’t keep that train of thought. It would do me no good to focus on the dead in the heat of battle. Best to wait until after Yggdrasil was defeated to mourn.

“Shit.” Kirito mumbled from my left. I looked over at him quizzically before he answered my unasked question, “Yggdrasil already regrew his leaves and is slowly absorbing them to regain his health. He is already back up half a bar.” Kazuto pointed to where the now one and a half yellow bars glowed near Yggdrasil’s branches.

“We gotta get back in there, and fast, before he heals more.” I unceremoniously dropped the player I had been carrying and rushed back into the fray. They were still asleep so they would never know.

Kirito and I weren’t the only ones back in action. Asuna, along with a quarter of her guildmates, and my party minus Agil, had rejoined the battle. Hopefully the sleep spell would wear off of those other players soon. I needed this fight over, badly. I was starting to grow mentally exhausted from all the stress. This battle had been the longest one so far. Even when taking on multiple opponents, like floor two with the three bulls, it hadn’t felt this long. And we, easily, have three times the amount of people fighting.

I looked for Kirito, hoping to swing back into the branches again. He was too close to Yggdrasil for that to actually work, though. But if Stark used his shield to give me a boost, I should be able to reach the lowest branches… What a brilliant idea!

“Stark! Hold your shield out at shoulder level, I’m gonna use it to get into Yggdrasil’s branches!” I yelled out to the blond haired boy. Without question, Stark did exactly as I needed. He bent his knees slightly and held his arm out as if calling a bird to roost, in a way I guess he was. 

I wasn’t expecting Charr to use his superior strength to give me more lift into the branches. He had grabbed Stark’s shield and used it to fling me as high up as he could. It worked better than I could have expected. Instead of reaching the lower branches, I was midway through the leafy crown.

Slicing and slashing with my sword worked so much faster at lowering Yggdrasil’s health than my warhammer could. Even though there was no chance to burn the tree monster, I did more damage by severing the branches from the trunk, with fewer swings. I hopped down from the branches before Yggdrasil could release another poison cloud, and saw that I had cut out that half bar it had regenerated earlier. I even managed to avoid getting punched into a wall, again.

After the poison spores dissipated, we were expecting the leaf bombs. Avoiding those was much easier when you knew they were coming. The shield wielders came in real handy by blocking the leaves from hitting the players, making it possible for them to continue the assault. And now that we were at a distance, Kirito could swing me back into the branches to take out more health points before he could regenerate his health again. Finally, this battle could end.

“You all saw what the Azure Knight did earlier! Shield users, help as many as you can into the branches! Let’s take this thing down!” Asuna called from the front lines. She quickly climbed a white armored KBO member and used their shoulders to jump into the branches. Many other players were quick to follow her lead, with the help of those that fought with shields, and soon it looked like Yggdrasil’s branches were laden with fruit. If those fruits were actually people.

In less than a minute, Yggdrasil gave one last mighty cry. The loudest one yet. A death roar for all to hear. If the great beast hadn’t been trying to kill us all earlier, I might have felt a little bad for it. But since it was a creature of this death game and I was a real-life human, I couldn’t feel guilt. Better my life than that of something that wasn’t even real.

When the tinkling shards finally twinkled out, the crowd went nuts in celebration. We had finally beaten the tree monster of floor fifty-two. One step closer to freedom. One step closer to home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference to Leroy Jethro Gibbs from NCIS, the notorious Gibbs’ smack.


	27. Chapter 27

“Alright, spill. Where have you been and why the hell haven’t you contacted us to tell us if you were even alive?” A low gravelly voice spoke up from my right. At the end, a small growl punctuated its master’s question.

“That… is a long answer. One I really don't wanna talk about here.” I slumped my shoulders as Kirito, Stark, and Agil joined Charr at my side. Charr, of course, had his arms crossed in anger. Stark just seemed to be content with having me back in one piece. Kirito, on the other hand, had his head hung in a way that I couldn’t see his face. Meaning he was hiding his emotions from me. Agil looked like he was unsure if he wanted to be mad or just give me one of his famous bear hugs, so he just hung back and gave me a relieved smile.

“Oh no. You are not running away from this interrogation. I don’t care what the dick said to you. You don’t get to run away from your other friends who actually care.” Charr practically growled. His red eyes lit up with anger, but I could also see the deep hurt in them. 

In that moment, I felt nothing but guilt. Tears formed in my eyes and I quickly brushed them away before they could fall. They didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. We are friends and I couldn’t be bothered to tell them that I was alright… Some friend I was. 

I was suddenly wrapped in a warm embrace, one that I had felt many times in those months when Kirito was with his guild. I buried my face into Charr’s broad chest, tucking my head under his chin. Breathing deeply to force the sobs back down my throat, I pulled myself out of Charr’s arms. I didn’t deserve his comfort, not after ignoring them for almost a month.

“Meet me at the central teleport on floor twenty-two. I promise I will be waiting there for you. But we have to hurry. I have to get home to someone.” I spoke to Charr and Stark.

Kirito was still hiding his face with his hair, so I figured I’d ignore him in return. If he couldn’t even look at me, then he didn’t deserve to be spoken to. It wasn’t until I mentioned the ‘someone’ that he whipped his head up with shock and anger written on his face. My only response was to look away in indifference. I didn’t care if he assumed it was a boy that was waiting for me. I hadn’t forgiven him for what he said. As far as I was concerned, the moment he called me a cheater was the moment we broke up. I had the right to move on if I had wanted to.

In the end, Agil had decided not to join us as he wanted to meet up with his guild with the news of the new floor to explore. I didn’t blame him, who wanted to hang around with a bunch of teenagers anyways? And with the fight that was bound to happen when we got back to my cabin, there was bound to be a headache in the man’s future if he had stayed with us. So no hurt feelings for him saving himself from the drama that was about to unfold.

“Well let’s go then! I wanna meet this person! A new friend!” Bubbly Stark, here to save the day, jumped up and down on the balls of his feet in excitement. If I hadn’t known any better, I’d think the boy was nine and not nineteen. I couldn’t help but chuckle under my breath. I had missed his cheerfulness. 

“Well follow me then.” I turned for the exit. Once we reached the main teleport for floor fifty-three, we immediately used it to move down to floor twenty-two. My home floor.

It was almost dinner-time when we stopped outside of my cabin, my home sweet home. I sighed in relief. The front door burst open and a small figure bolted out and straight into my arms. I’m sure to the others she looked like nothing more than a black and gray blob, but I knew it was no one but my daughter snuggling into my arms.

“Hey kid, miss me much?” I patted her head, a gentle smile on my face.

“Mommy! I’m so glad you came home safe! I was so worried!” Yui cried and nestled further into my armor.

“Did she just call you… ‘Mommy’?!” Charr and Kirito both yelled out in shock. Stark laughed so hard he fell to his knees and was holding his stomach.

I sighed and walked into my house, Yui snuggled comfortably under my arm with her hands wrapped around my waist. “Well you comin’ or you just gonna stand there catching flies with them mouths?” I hollered back in my best American southern accent.

I heard three pairs of footsteps shuffle behind me and followed mine into the cozy cabin. Luckily, there was enough seating in the small living room for all of us. The place was still sparsely furnished, I hadn’t been able to make enough to really make this place a home. But it was still mine, paid for by the Col earned with these two hands. 

When everyone was seated, Kirito and Stark on the three person couch while Charr joined me on the loveseat. Yui was sitting on the floor, leaning back against my legs. It seemed that she wanted to be as close to me as possible, comforted to feel my presence and know that I was safe.

“So… a daughter? How’d you manage that?” Charr spoke up to break the awkward silence. 

“Mommy is not my real mommy. I don’t know who that is. I don’t remember anything before Mommy found me!” Yui answered cheerfully for me. I swear she could give Stark a run for his money in the happiness department. I’d have to remember to keep them both out of the sweets to prevent them from bouncing off the walls. I did not want to find out what would happen with the two of them hopped up on sugar.

“Yeah. I was heading towards the mid-level boss, Shandra the Phoenix Queen, when I stumbled across Yui. You know that rumor of the ghost on this floor? Turns out it was her, lost and alone. I still haven’t figured out why she doesn’t have an icon above her head. She’s not an NPC, but I don’t think she’s a player either…” I trailed off, lost in thought.

“No one has come forward to claim her? No one came to look for her? She must have been so lonely in those woods.” Stark looked to Yui, tears in his eyes. I could feel his sorrow for my daughter all the way across the room. I shook my head in answer. 

Charr and Stark recounted many of their adventures since we had split up. One of which included them providing backup to Kirito and Asuna in order to solve a “murder” case in the safe zone. But that had ended up being a very well done acting job in order to catch a guy who had murdered his wife for some messed up reason. Something about her becoming a different person since this world started. The guy must have been messed up in the head to kill his wife just because she wasn’t submissive to him anymore. Disgusting human being...

Kirito had yet to say a word since he entered my home. He was once again hiding behind his hair, though I could see him glancing up at Yui every once in a while. It made me wonder what was going through that head of his, but I was still too angry at him to even bother asking.

“Hey, seeing as how it’s nearly dinner time, would you mind Stark and I going to Triney Village to grab some food for all of us? I hear the fish on this floor is actually palatable.” Charr looked to Stark, trying to communicate something without words. 

Stark must have gotten the message because he immediately jumped to his feet. “Oh! Can we take Yui with us? I wanna know more about her!” He held a hand out to the small girl.

“It’s alright with me, if it’s okay with Yui.” Her eyes lit up with excitement, but I could tell she was also nervous about being alone with two strange men. “It’s alright kid, I trust these two with my life. They even helped me defeat the boss today. You can trust them to take care of you, just like they took care of me.” I brushed her bangs away from her face.

“Okay Mommy. We will bring back yummy food for dinner!” Yui stood up and threw her small arms around my neck in a fierce hug. I couldn’t help but chuckle and hug the tiny girl. With another pat to her head, she joined the two men at the door.

“Aren’t you forgetting something Yui?” I called before she could step past the threshold. 

With a cry of “oh yeah!” Yui bolted for our bedroom to retrieve her sword and strap on her armor. I trust Stark and Charr to keep her safe, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Besides, if I knew my daughter she would convince the men to let her show off her sword skills.

When the door closed and I couldn’t hear their footsteps on the porch anymore, I turned to the silent swordsman sitting across from me. I honestly didn’t know what to say, so I stayed quiet. After what felt like an eternity, I finally broke the silence, “why are you here, Kirito?”

He finally raised his head and I saw the suffering in his black orbs. I don’t know what he had to be in pain about, but I knew that I hated the look on his face. I had seen it too many times. First right after the Illfang boss fight, and then when he finally came to me about the death of his guild. But this time, he was the cause of his own suffering.

“What happened to ‘Kazuto?’ Are you still that mad at me that you won’t use my real name anymore, Sarah?” He asked, tears shining in his eyes.

“You no longer get to call me that. Not after what you said. You lost that right.” Anger blazed through my veins. How dare he! Was the only thought running through my mind. I crossed my arms and leaned against the back of the loveseat. I clenched my hands, keeping them hidden with my arms so he couldn’t see how much he affected me.

“Look, I’m sorry! I was stupid and jealous and said things I shouldn’t have. I know you would never cheat! I was just being insecure, and I took that out on you.” Kirito threw his hands in the air before standing up and starting to pace.

“I accept your apology,” Kirito immediately relaxed his shoulders with a sigh before I continued, “but I can’t forgive you. Not yet, and maybe not for a while. You called me a cheater. You thought so low of me that you’d think that I would ever cheat on you. How can you have a relationship where your partner doesn’t trust you?” I closed my eyes in an attempt to stop the tears, but I had failed. Damn this guy made me so emotional.

I wasn’t expecting warm gloved hands to cup my cheeks, brushing the tears away. “I’m always making you cry, aren’t I?” His broken voice asked. When I opened my eyes, I saw tears falling down his own cheeks. He rarely ever cried, so it was disconcerting.

I didn’t know whether to bat his hands away or to nuzzle into his hands. So I just stared into his black eyes, the same eyes as my daughter. Kirito started to lean forward, as if to kiss me, but I turned my head away before his nose could even brush mine. I knew if I allowed him to kiss me, I would forgive him with little resistance. But I couldn’t give in, not so easily. He hurt me too much.

Kirito’s breath hitched in disappointment before he resumed his earlier seat. “Did you really find Yui in the forest? If I didn’t know any better, I would swear she was our child. But not only is that impossible, firstly because we are in a video game and secondly because… we never… um… yeah…” Kirito sputtered, his ears and cheeks burned a bright red. I’m sure mine were of a similar color.

I cleared my throat in embarrassment. “Yes I did. I had just bought this place and was looking forward to the Col beating Shandra would give me to furnish it. My first buy was a couple beds for us to sleep on. I let her use my sleeping bag until I bought beds.” I laughed at the memory. How Yui liked to sprawl out in her sleep until she resembled a starfish. 

“She’s got your face.” Kirito’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t meant to say that.

“She has your eyes and hair.” I couldn’t help but smile sadly. This must be what a divorced couple went through when there were children involved.

“Could you ever forgive me for what I said?” He asked after a silent moment.

“I don’t know, Kirito. It’s gonna take a while for me to be able to trust you again. And now I have Yui to take care of.”

“Have you taken her to Tolbana to see if anyone recognizes her?” 

“Actually, I hadn’t even thought of it. I figured whoever was looking for her would come here, as I’m sure this is where they got separated. It doesn’t explain the memory loss though. Nor the lack of an icon.” I responded, deep in thought.

“If you would allow it, I’d like to help you find her friends or family.” He looked at his hands, sheepishly. 

It made sense to take her to Tolbana. Not only was the orphanage there, but it tended to be where people met up when they became separated. I couldn’t believe I had never thought of it. I guess I was so focused on taking care of Yui while also preparing for the boss fight that it must have slipped my mind to even look there.

I nodded my head as an answer to Kirito. We soon got discussing plans of starting the search the next morning when the door burst open. As always, Yui immediately dashed into my arms for a hug. 

I let out an oof as her armor dug into my face. Luckily I still hadn’t taken my own armor off, so my chest and shoulders survived the impact. I heard twin snickers from the two people just coming through the door after Hurricane Yui.

“You taught her well Sarasheem! I wouldn’t be surprised if she could take Illfang on by herself.” Stark bounced into the room, not unlike the little girl in my arms. 

“Yeah. She’s my little swordswoman. She begged me to teach her in the hopes that she could come to the boss fights. But you got a long way to go until then, kid.” I ran my fingers through her hair affectionately. Yui lifted her head to grin at me before resuming her earlier seat on the floor in front of me.

“But who is gonna protect you if I don’t get stronger?” She raised her fist in the air in determination.

“That’s our job, kid. We are her friends, and that’s what friends do.” Charr looked from Yui to turn his red gaze to me. I blushed and slouched slightly at his non-verbal reprimand. “Here.” He said as he handed me a skewered grilled fish and a bread roll. After I handed those to Yui, Charr handed me another set before getting his own food out. I looked over to see Stark handing Kirito a similar meal. 

Light chatter was shared as we ate our meal. Yui told the boys about many of our adventures, including the time we had attempted to learn how to fish. The giant fish at the local lake was a much higher level than my fishing skill and I ended up taking an unexpected dip. There was much laughter at my expense.

“It’s getting late…” I murmured after watching Yui almost nod off for the second time. “You guys are more than welcome to stay the night. Unfortunately, I only have the one bedroom. You can share one of the beds and Yui and I can share the other. But it is going to be cramped with how tall you guys are. Someone can take the couch, the three seater should be long enough for someone. Whatever you decide, just let me know when I am done putting Yui to bed.” I lifted the small, still armored, girl into my arms before heading for the bedroom. 

After ridding Yui of her armor and her short sword, I changed her into a nightgown for more comfort. Returning to the living room I noticed that Kirito’s ears were red, most likely from embarrassment, and their discussion abruptly halted.

“So we’ve got an idea on sleeping arrangements, but don’t get mad.” Charr started off. I immediately stopped and tensed, knowing I really wasn’t going to like where this conversation was going.

I crossed my arms defensively and waited for what the boys had come up with.

Charr sighed in exasperation before he continued. “Stark and I can sleep on the floor out here. Let Yui keep her own bed. If she’s anything like you, I know she is already sprawled out and taking up every available spot. Only one of us is used to sleeping with a person like that.” He jerked his thumb at an even more red faced Kirito.

“You did not just suggest what I think you are suggesting.” I narrowed my eyes at the tall dragon tamer.

“You heard me right. It’s one night, and dumbass here is the only one who can sleep comfortably like that.” Charr shot back. 

I looked at Kirito, but he refused to meet my gaze. I tried Stark next, but he just shrugged and smiled mischievously. When I realized I wasn’t going to win this battle, I groaned. 

“Fine.” I muttered in defeat. This was going to be a long night.


	28. Chapter 28

I told the boys to use the living room to change out of their armor while I changed into pajamas in the bedroom. I no longer felt comfortable changing around them, especially Kirito. They’ve all seen my underclothes the many times I’ve switched armors in front of them, including from the recent boss battle, but for some reason everything felt different now. Probably because it was.

I knew Stark forgave me for going AWOL, he had always been the forgiving kind. Charr had mostly forgiven me, though I knew he was still quite angry with my lack of communication. Not only that, but also for being unable to find me due to me turning off my location. Kirito… I honestly didn’t care if he did. I was still keeping my emotional distance from him. I wouldn’t survive a third broken heart, if I even wanted to take that risk again with him. But that was something I would have to decide, and I was too tired to make that decision right now.

A soft knock on the door brought me back from my thoughts. I opened it to find Kirito standing there. He had his head hanging down by his shoulders and his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his pants. The same dark gray shirt and black pants that he wore the last time we spent a night together draped across his slight frame. 

I briefly saw his eyes through his bangs as he took in my appearance. I wore a simple gray t-shirt with a pair of shorts that came down to my knees. Nothing fancy or revealing, I was dressed for sleeping, after all. I wanted to giggle when I realized we matched.

I opened the door further, wordlessly inviting him in. Yui was sprawled out across the bed closest to the window, leaving the bed closest to the door for us to share. I let out a tired sigh as I pulled the covers down and crawled into the side closest to Yui, and closed my eyes. 

After a few minutes of not feeling the bed dip from Kirito joining me, I whispered to him in frustration, “Are you going to sleep standing up or are you going to come to bed?” 

“I can… Uh… I don’t have to…” He stuttered out quietly so as not to wake Yui.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not the first time we’ve shared a bed. I ain’t gonna murder you in your sleep.” I grumped, still facing the window behind my daughter. In my tired state my American accent came out in full force, I wasn’t even sure if my whole sentence was in Japanese or if some of my reply was in English. I was so ready for this night to be over.

Finally, I felt the bed bounce and sway as Kirito climbed in behind me. For the first time in a month, I felt my body fully relax. It knew that Kirito was there and would have my back if danger came for us, even if my mind refused to believe it. I sighed again, this time with a small smile on my face.

“I wish I could show you how much I regret everything I said, Sarah. That I love you more than anything in the world, this world or the real one.” I heard Kirito's whisper from behind me.

I turned to find Kirito’s shocked black eyes staring at me. He gaped like a fish, mouth opening and closing but no words escaping. I guess he thought I had already fallen asleep. I raised my eyebrow in question as I patiently waited for him to say something more, but he closed his eyes and mouth and stayed quiet.

I sighed tiredly for the third time since coming into my bedroom. It seemed like I was doing that a lot tonight. I didn’t know what he expected, that I would just forgive and forget the hurtful things he said? Or that I would fall back into his arms at the sight of him after a month? While I wanted nothing more than for things to go back to the way they were before, I wasn’t going to be the kind of girl that would forgive everything and anything. I had my pride too, along with some sense of self-worth. 

“What do you want from me Kirito?” I sighed once again, closing my eyes once more. I didn’t turn away though, knowing he was still awake.

“I want you to forgive me, really forgive me. Though I know I don’t deserve it. I’ve hurt you too many times, and too deeply. Just tell me what I have to do to get you to love me again. Whatever it is, I’ll do it. I miss you, I miss us.” His voice broke on the word love. I opened my eyes to see tears streaming down his face, falling off of the tip of his nose and onto the pillow.

I desperately wanted to crawl into his arms and tell him that I forgave him, that of course I still loved him, but I couldn't. He had cut me too deep, the wound still bleeding. I had to protect my heart from more hurt by his hands. I had Yui to look after, and nothing could get in the way of me taking care of the girl I saw as my daughter. Even if I had to close off my heart from the one person who was never supposed to break it in the first place.

I turned over to face the window once more, thereby ending the conversation. I wasn’t ready to have this conversation with him, maybe I’d never be. Either way, sleep was more important than comforting Kirito.

The bed dipped again as Kirito readjusted his position to get comfortable. A few more sniffles escaped him, but I did my best to ignore them. I listened intently as his breathing deepened and evened out, signaling that he had fallen asleep. Finally, I could let my mind go and join everyone in the world of sleep.

I was drifting off when whimpering pulled me back to wakefulness. I immediately looked over to Yui, thinking she was having a nightmare. But she was still as out of it as ever. I felt shifting on the bed behind me and the whimpering continued.

I rolled over to see Kirito on his back, a position he never slept in because he found it too uncomfortable. He had the blankets clenched in his hands in a death grip. His face was scrunched up, as if he was in pain and he tossed his head back and forth on his pillow. His chest rose and fell in harsh breaths. The whimpering had turned into a high pitched mumble at this point. I couldn’t quite make out what he was trying to say, just that he was upset, possibly even afraid.

“..sheem… don-go…” I could barely hear. “No!” He suddenly cried out, thrashing around in the bed.

I heard the thump of running footsteps before Charr and Stark appeared in the doorway, weapons drawn. A quick look between my terrified face and Kirito in the throes of his nightmare told them whatever they needed to know. Stark made his way over to Kirito and attempted to wake him up while Charr stood and glared at my ex-partner.

“How often does this happen?” I finally worked out past the lump in my throat.

“Just about every night since you left. To the point where we traded off nights in an attempt to quiet him. Even got us kicked out of an inn in Tolbana.” Charr leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his arms. “I was hoping sleeping beside you would help, but I guess not.”

Tears flooded my eyes with guilt. I’m sure if we weren’t in a game, all three boys would have dark circles and bags under their eyes from the lack of rest. And it was my fault. Instead of handling the situation between Kirito and I like an adult, I acted like a child and ran away. Well at least I could remedy the situation now.

I nodded at Stark, silently telling him I would take over. A relieved smile overtook his face and he backed away to stand beside Charr. I scooted towards the center of the bed and pulled Kirito to lay his head on my chest, just like when he lost his guild. He immediately stopped thrashing, though he continued to whimper and mumble, never opening his eyes. He was still tense, every muscle taught with stress. So I started singing the first song that popped into my head.

I’m going under and this time I fear there’s no one to save me.  
This all or nothing really got a way of driving me crazy.  
I need somebody to heal.  
Somebody to know.  
Somebody to have.  
Somebody to hold.  
It’s easy to say,  
But it’s never the same.  
I guess I kinda like the way you numbed all the pain.

It wasn’t until I started singing the song that I realized how accurate it was. It was the story of our life and love since we became trapped in Aincrad. This song described our relationship almost perfectly.

Now the day bleeds,  
Into nightfall.  
And you’re not here,  
To get me through it all.  
I let my guard down,  
And then you pulled the rug.  
I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved.

We were inseparable until Kirito suddenly wanted to join the Moonlit Black Cats, even though he had been adamant up until that point that he would never join a guild. After their deaths, he came to me, needing someone to help him through his grief. But even when we started dating, it felt like something was missing.

I’m going under and this time I fear there’s no one to turn to.  
This all or nothing way of loving got me sleeping without you.  
Now I need somebody to know,  
Somebody to heal,  
Somebody to have,  
Just to know how it feels.  
It’s easy to say, but it’s never the same.  
I guess I kinda liked the way you helped me escape.

His jealousy of my friendship with Charr and his insecurities kept him from being with me completely. He held a piece of himself back, possibly to prevent himself from being hurt? I couldn’t know for sure. But in the end, it was me who had their heart broken. Not just once, but twice. By his hands.

Now the day bleeds,  
Into nightfall.  
And you’re not here,  
To get me through it all.  
I let my guard down,  
And then you pulled the rug.  
I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved.

And I tend to close my eyes when it hurts sometimes.  
I fall into your arms,  
I’ll be safe in your sound ‘til I come back around.

By this point, the whimpering had stopped and Kirito was sleeping peacefully, his breathing having evened out once more. I noticed Charr and Stark sneaking out of the room. Charr hesitated before leaving completely, an odd look on his face that I couldn’t read. Some emotion in his smoldering red depths was trying to tell me something, though what I wasn’t sure. He finally glanced away and closed the door with barely a sound. I didn’t even hear their footsteps as they retreated back into the living room. Probably to get the first restful night of sleep in a month.

I finished the song, not realizing I had started carding one of my hands through his hair. I wondered how often I would find myself in this position, comforting the one who had hurt me the most, the one I loved even after all that was said and done.

My eyes fluttered shut as sleep finally pulled me into its depths. I knew I would only get a few hours by this point, but any sleep was better than none. 

While sleep wasn’t necessary in the game, it was a way to “reset” one’s mind for a new day. It made us feel like we were still human and not just some bits of code in a game. It reminded us that we were still real. And someday, we would return home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit for the song: Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi.


	29. Chapter 29

I had been dreaming of another memory. One of just Kirito and I, laying in a field of flowers on one of the lowest levels. It had been such a lovely day that it would have been a waste to not take advantage of it by taking a break from grinding. We talked about our families, him of his mother and sister and I of my parents. He told me of his dream to become a game developer, even after being stuck in Sword Art: Online. He asked about my life as a kid growing up in America and how I liked it compared to Japan. We spent hours talking about ourselves, it was probably the longest conversation we had had about our past.

I was startled awake by yelling and someone jabbing me in the ribs. I groggily opened my eyes to find Yui standing over me with her sword pointing towards my left shoulder, right above where I was being prodded. Looking down, I saw Kirito with his head resting on my shoulder and wide black eyes staring at the blade pointed at his throat. His hands were held up in surrender as my daughter contemplated his demise. He must have been using his elbow to rouse me from my deep sleep.

“What are you doing to my mommy!? Why are you in her bed!?” Yui yelled at Kirito, not giving him an opportunity to explain before going into a rage. 

The door slammed open, the other two boys scrambling into the room in search of some supposed threat. Isao flew in over their heads and did a loop around the room, growling and spitting little flames as he searched the room. I could tell that they had just been woken up from the commotion as I had. I had to fight a chuckle at the hilariousness of the situation. I managed to keep quiet, but barely.

Instead of the laughter I could feel fighting its way out of my chest, I turned on what I considered my ‘mother voice’. “Yui! What do you think you are doing? Get down and put that sword away, right now!” I scolded the young girl, tears now forming in my eyes from holding back the laughter.

“But mommy-” She started to argue but when she saw that I was serious she stopped and climbed down from the bed, luckily without stabbing Kirito accidentally-on-purpose. Though that didn’t stop her from giving him a death glare as she returned her sword to its sheath by her bed.

“And you were saying?” I prodded her, expecting an apology from her for attacking one of our guests. Even if I was still angry at Kirito, he didn’t deserve this as a wake-up call. I heard snickers coming from the doorway and glanced up to see Charr and Stark fighting their own amusement with hands over their mouths. Stark lost the battle first and doubled over as he roared with laughter.

“Sorry Mr. Kirito.” Yui finally mumbled as she bowed to Kirito in apology. After I finally moved myself into a sitting position, with a grunt from Kirito after his savior dropped his head on the bed. At my raised eyebrow and a glance at the two boys leaning against each other in laughter, Yui continued with her apologies. “Sorry for waking you up, Uncle Charr and Uncle Stark.” Stark must have convinced her to start calling them that, but I had no problem with it. They were practically brothers to me, anyways.

The light coming in from the window told me it was midmorning. No wonder Yui freaked out, she and I had been early risers, me more so than her. Something that had started when I split from the party. It was an oddity that I had slept so late, even on little to no sleep, I had always been up before her. She was probably even more startled to find Kirito cuddled up to me and thought he had snuck into my bed without my knowledge.

Yui was still angry, even after we had explained the reasoning behind Kirito sleeping beside me. But the promise of food distracted her enough from the eventful start of the morning to curb most of her pouting.

Due to our lack of waking up in a timely fashion, the group decided to split up in our search for Yui's missing companions. I had already promised Kirito I’d let him help me, not that Charr and Stark gave us much of a choice. We had barely arrived on the first floor when they walked off with only a call that they would take the market area and work on that side of Tolbana.

“Well Mommy, it looks like we’re stuck with him.” Yui stuck her tongue out at Kirito before she grabbed my hand. I gave her my best “I’m disappointed with you,” look before taking off towards where I last knew the orphanage to be. I highly doubt it had moved, as it would have been too expensive. And Argo hadn’t told me in her updates she got from the caretaker of the orphanage.

When we rounded the last corner, I was greeted with a familiar cloaked figure leaning against the wall. I groaned and prepared for the scolding I knew was to come. I had hoped to stave off this confrontation for a few more days, but alas I was not so lucky.

“So she lives. Good to know. Turn on your damn location so the rest of your friends know you’re alive.” Argo growled out, not moving from her position.

“How did you… Charr. I guess he got the word out that I’m still kicking.” I sighed. Today was going to be a long day. I was bound to be harassed not only by messages but also by people popping up in whatever location I was to see that I was indeed still alive.

“Oh we knew you were still alive. It was the where that bothered us. Scared us all half to death. I know idiot over here drove you away,” she jerked her thumb at Kirito beside me before continuing, “but the rest of us still had a right to know where you were. At the very least we deserved the chance to remind you that we were still in your corner. Agil missed your sass while you were gone.” She crossed her arms in a pouty manner. “Besides, what kind of information broker would I be if I don’t have information for people that are looking for it. It’s hard to get information on a person’s whereabouts if they make it impossible to find them.” At this she glanced at the black clad swordsman beside me before returning her yellow eyes to me.

“Are you sure it was my sass he was missing and not yours?” I laughed as her brows drew down in mock anger. “I had someone I had to take care of, anyways. Which reminds me. Argo, meet Yui. Yui, this is Argo. She’s a friend of mine.” I pulled Yui out from her hiding spot behind me.

“Heard about that too. Looks like a cute kid. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was the child of the Black Swordsman and the Azure Knight. Looks so much like you two.” Kirito and I balked and I yelled Argo’s name in disbelief.

“What? It’s not like it’s possible here anyways. I’ll see if I can help find some info for you on your kid. Never heard of a person not having an icon above their head, not NPC or player. It’ll be good to have your patronage again.” With that Argo gave a mischievous grin and walked off, her cloak billowing out behind her.

Kirito and I shared a look before I shrugged my shoulders and made my way to the orphanage’s door. I barely knocked before a woman with brown hair and glasses opened the door, it was as if she was expecting us. Argo must have paid her a visit before she waited for us to show up. It wouldn’t surprise me if that was what had happened.

“You must be Sarasheem and Kirito! I am Sasha and I run this place.” The woman introduced herself with a bow. She held the door open, a clear invitation to join her inside.

She was a thin woman in a royal blue dress with a white collar around the neck and cuffed at the end of her sleeves. Freckles sprinkled across her nose under a pair of rimless oval glasses. Her brown hair was tied back in a loose braid with some chin-length strands framing her face. Peering over those glasses were green eyes that showed the compassion and care she had for everyone, especially the younger players that were trapped here with the rest of us. 

“That’s us. And this is Yui. I found her on floor twenty-two in the woods. I was hoping someone here would recognize her and possibly reunite her with her family or friends.” I smiled at the kind faced woman before me. I noticed she carried a single dagger on her hip and wondered what troubled her enough that she felt the need to carry a weapon in the heart of Tolbana.

“The children are just sitting down for lunch, you are welcome to join us. It would be the perfect opportunity to introduce Yui to them to see if any remember her.” Sasha waved her arm towards a large dining room.

“I’m not hungry. Besides, I know what you do here for these kids and I wouldn’t want to take what limited resources-” A high pitched scream echoed between the buildings, setting all of us on edge.

“Oh no! They’re at it again!” Sasha darted between Kirito and I and ran down an alley between two buildings.

Without a second thought, I followed her. I couldn’t leave someone in need without even trying to help. That wasn’t who I was. And that scream definitely sounded like one in need of assistance.

A large crowd of green caped soldiers blocked our way. On the other side I could hear two younger players yelling at the soldiers, telling them to leave them alone. I couldn’t make out what the leader of this group said, but I heard another cry. This one of pain.

“Kirito, swing me over their heads. Now! Protect Yui.” I practically growled at him. 

Not missing a beat, Kirito grabbed my hand and next thing I knew I was flying over the soldiers’ heads. I could hear the gasps of shock and murmurs of awe after I landed. I stood, dusting off my pants, and looked at the leader of these disgraceful soldiers. He still had a young brown haired boy in his grasp, holding him a few inches off the ground by his shirt.

“I better not be seeing what I believe I am seeing. That a high ranked player dares to pick on a child? Unless he stole something from you, which is impossible, I see no reason for such an occurrence as what I am seeing before me.” I looked up to lock gazes with the leader. In my anger, my formal Japanese came out full force. I felt the little girl who had been cowering in fear shift to stand behind me, recognizing that a protector was here to save her.

“Who the hell do you think you are? We are here to collect taxes, and this scum doesn’t have our money. If they don’t have money, the least they could do is give us their items and equipment.” He spit out to the side.

“I paid you last week for this month's taxes! There was no reason to be going after those kids!” Sasha called from her place beside Kirito. 

I was seeing red. Taxes? Who did these assholes think they were to collect taxes!? They should be up on the top floors helping the raid party in defeating the bosses! Not bullying the players of Tolbana to line their pockets.

“Who is your leader? Tell them the Azure Knight has a bone to pick with them. And these tax collections start now. Do not make me lose my temper. I can still kick your asses, even if this is a safe zone.” I spoke through clenched teeth. My fingers dug into my palms, to the point that I’m sure I would have wounds if we weren’t in town.

“We won’t stand by and let some trash talk to us like that! Men, ready arms!” With his cry, he dropped the boy, who wisely scurried to join his companion behind me. The rest of his crew drew their weapons, albeit a bit hesitantly, before roaring their battle cries.

I quickly pulled my sword and shield out of my inventory and went to work. Hacking, slashing, and bashing them out of my way. When each and every soldier was slumped on the ground, defeated, I returned my sword to its sheath and glared down at the leader. They should have recognized my title. Too bad for them that even this large of a group couldn’t hold a candle to my prowess.

“Kibou will hear of this! This isn’t over!” The leader, I still didn’t know his name or rank in their guild, clambered to his feet and scuttled out of the alley, his minions following after him.

“Tell that spike-haired bastard that the Black Swordsman and Azure Knight send their regards!” Kirito called after their retreating forms.

I felt a tug on my sleeve and I looked down to find the girl glancing up at me through her long eyelashes. She couldn’t have been older than twelve, with the boy being about the same age. I knew she wanted to thank me, but she was still reeling from the shock and adrenaline from being attacked.

I placed my hand on her head and ruffled her hair. She managed to squeak out a ‘hey!’ in mock outrage before she started to giggle.

Sasha gathered both of the children into a tight hug as soon as she came within arms reach, murmuring words of endearment and comfort. When both children were finally calmed and giggling, she stood up and invited us back to the orphanage. We agreed, as Yui hadn’t had a chance to meet the other kids, and followed her back. The whole short walk was riddled with apologies and thanks, though we tried to convince her that it was no big deal and we were just upholding our honor as top levelers.

I had Yui under my arm, clinging to my waist, when we reached the door of Sasha’s home. Before she could even reach for the door, it burst open and a stream of children and young teens surrounded us. There were so many questions of “are you alright?” “what happened?” and “who are they?” that my head started to spin. Eventually, Sasha got the kids to settle down and let us in to explain everything.

Two of the kids split off to help the ones we had saved from those soldiers to their rooms, they needed the rest. Especially after being scared to near-death like that. Sleep would help them recover. Besides, they told us everything that happened, so Sasha can tell their story to the other kids. There was no need to make them relive the event by sharing their story a second time.

When everything was said and the kids were caught up to speed, Sasha stood up. “Now these two players from the assault team have a favor to ask of us. They found Yui all alone on one of the floors and were hoping someone here would recognize her. She doesn’t remember anything before she was found. So I ask, does anyone here know Yui?”

I looked from one face to the next. When not a single one had shown any indication to recognizing my daughter, my shoulders dropped in defeat. While I loved Yui and found joy in teaching her all that I could, I wanted her to find her friends or family too. Someone who knew her past, who knew her real name. It killed me.

At the same time, I felt elated for being able to keep my daughter. No one claiming her meant that she could stay with me longer. I hadn’t realized that I wasn’t ready to give her up yet. Though these thoughts made me feel extremely guilty and selfish. What kind of parent was happy at their child’s misery? Not a good one, I’m sure.

Just at that moment there was a banging at the door. Sasha went to answer it, with Kirito and I following to make sure it wasn’t those soldiers returning. Or worse, Kibou. I couldn’t wait to get my sword into that wimp of a porcupine. Though that was giving porcupines a bad name.

Instead, of either the people I expected to see, it was a woman bent over her knees and out of breath. She had long silver hair, most of which was tied back on the crown of her head with long strands on either side of her face. The woman had a silver-lined black shawl over a green uniform, a similar color to the soldier’s cloaks from earlier. Strapped to one hip was a gold-handled rapier while the other sported a black whip. A weapon I had yet to see a player use in this world.

“Is… Black Swordsman… and Azure Knight… here?” She managed to get out between gasping breaths. 

Kirito and I shared a look, knowing something big was about to go down.


End file.
